Biden to decide on Chinese import tariffs this week, sources say

US President Joe Biden is expected to roll back some tariffs on Chinese imports soon, in a measure limited by competing policy goals: fighting inflation and keeping economic pressure on Beijing.

People familiar with the situation say Biden could announce the decision this week.

The Democrat is considering including a pause in tariffs on consumer goods such as clothing and school supplies, as well as launching a broad framework to allow importers to apply for tariff exemptions.

The Office of the US Trade Representative is conducting a mandatory four-year review of tariffs imposed under former President Donald Trump.

A comment period for companies and others who have benefited from the tariffs will close on July 5, giving the government an opportunity to calibrate its policy.

As he decides what to do, Biden weighs dissenting positions both within his government and by outside forces, including businesses, workers and lawmakers.

A plan to announce a tariff cut has been repeatedly delayed, government officials and trade experts say. The delay, they say, reflects strong divisions within their government over China’s tariffs.

On the one hand, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has called tariffs a drag on the economy, saying the government is looking at ways to reconfigure them to help curb inflation.

On the other side are US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who see tariffs as a valuable tool to win concessions from China.

Skeptics, the latter want a tariff cut combined with another measure designed to keep pressure on Beijing to change practices the US says put American companies and workers at a disadvantage.