White House levy to protect US makers from cheap imports likely to inflame trade tensions
The US president, Joe Biden, has announced a 100% tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles as part of a package of measures designed to protect US manufacturers from cheap imports.
In a move that is likely to inflame trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, the White House said it was imposing more stringent curbs on Chinese goods worth $18bn.
Sources said the move followed a four-year review and was a preventive measure designed to stop cheap subsidised Chinese goods flooding the US market and stifling the growth of the American green technology sector.
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Despite the risks of retaliation from Beijing, Biden said the increased levies were a proportionate response to China’s overcapacity in the EV sector. Sources said China was producing 30m EVs a year but could sell only 22-23m domestically.
I guess Americans will never get cheap electric cars. Make no mistake. US automakers aren’t going to use this tariff to buy time to make competitive cheap electric cars. They’re just going to rest on their laurels and continue to sell large overpriced trucks, SUV and their EV counterparts.
Whatever makes the O&G industry more money, eh?
Spice must flow
That’s what pisses me off here, I just want something affordable to get from a-b work commute, I’m not spending $80k on an electric suv that I only have because I’m forced into work.
It’s gonna end up with me buying a moped or small motorcycle to get to work at reasonable cost
Citizen, you must pay tribute to your CEO overlords!
It’s gonna end up with me buying a moped or small motorcycle to get to work at reasonable cost
Actually glad to hear that. That’s one positive outcome from this aggressive nationalist bullshit decision from Biden. Electric cars (even cheaper, smaller ones from China) aren’t an appropriate way to address climate change. Converting car drivers to two wheelers is way more of a positive move and will also have major benefits to traffic and pedestrian safety. Way better than buying a big fucking American electric pickup truck or SUV.
You’re kinda skipping over a few things as well as something the previous comment mentioned.
- Weather. I live in a pretty big metro area that has freezing cold winters and sweltering hot summers (with high humidity).
- Cargo space is definitely something to think about. There are a lot of families that have to drive to a store for a family’s amount of food for the week
- Long distances to get to anything in the suburbs amplifies issues 1 and 2 (including usually no pubic transportation to help)
- The previous commenter mentioned they don’t want a giant SUV and just want an affordable electric car.
All these things are a reason cars are a huge necessity in most of the US. Yes, getting to an area where we can all mostly use 2 wheels would be great, but we should recognize that doing better is a great step forward instead of shooting it down because it’s not perfect.
I say all this as a person who works from home so I don’t have to worry about a commute, has a small car for necessary trips, and does my best avoid unnecessary driving and makes sure to carpool at every opportunity.
Yeah, cause now the cheap competitor they could compare to just got pricier so that means they can also raise prices
Didn’t we already learn this lesson with Harley Davidson?
I guess Americans will never get cheap electric cars.
You can always drive them over the border from Mexico.
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I said that US automakers don’t want any Americans buying cheap EVs. They’ll happily sell you an EV just be ready to pay mid-high five to low six figures for it. No way in hell do they want to make 20k EVs.
The funny thing is, even after the 100% price increase they’re still cheaper than american EVs.
Not if they use that money to subsidise American EV’s.
Fair point.
One can only hope!
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The reason why you’re saving on Chinese cars is because of huge government subsidies on their side, so they don’t play by the rules of the free market either.
Nobody has ever played by the rules of the free market. It’s been a scam from day one.
I mean, Our government could do the same thing to keep costs low and competitive instead of just making them more expensive for everyone.
Government giving money vs government getting money
Yeah, basically the same thing 👍
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So? I never said the USA plays by the rules, I even used the word “either” in my previous reply.
I think what they’re saying is that both countries are subsidising the industries.
Chinese companies are thinking ahead and using the subsidies to sell more vehicles
American companies are, surprise-sur-fucking-surprise, stealing the subsidies to make a few billionaires richer
The reason you’re saving on the running costs of a gas car is because of huge government subsidies on the fossil fuel industry.
Show me where I said the USA doesn’t do something similar
It’s funny how everyone tries to make China subsidizing cars for its population a bad thing. The US should bet taking note. Taxes should be used to help the population, not the people in charge of the population.
huge government subsidies on their side
China’s public education, public health care, public housing, and public mass transit: Evil Subsidies
America’s $7500 tax credit: Sensible free market EV incentive
Then the US should match that and subsidize Electric Vehicles. Everyone wins.
Also uiger slavery
It’s a free market.
So is imposing tariffs then
And as a free market, I should choose if I want to pay them.
GM and Ford manufacture in China. It doesn’t affect American designed and Chinese produced vehicles, only companies that are based in China.
These “free market” arguments keep missing the key detail. Reading is hard.
subsidised Chinese goods
I don’t remember China subsidizing American products and then shipping them back to us.
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One funnels money into American business, the other into the Chinese government. It’s not some secret plan. It’s clearly declared.
Apple has been getting the hell out of building things in China — if you hadn’t noticed.
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Simple way to make this policy make sense. Instead of a tariff on imports make it a huge subsidy on domestic EVs. We can give the military contractors billions, but giving the American people cheap cars is somehow a bad investment? Soon many positive side effects of a direct, non monetary stimulus
Didn’t US companies that were making EV raise their prices as soon as the government added or increased buyer incentive rebates?
The greedy assholes basically pocketed the rebate while the consumer got nothing.
So IMO these manufacturers will just pocket a significant chunk of the subsidy and pass little of the savings on to the consumer. Already many of them claim financial woes, it’s no stretch for them to soak up the cash and say “but we had to…” and get no punishment because the administration doesn’t want to kill the industry it’s trying to support. I mean, $55bn pay packages have to come from somewhere, right?
Make the subsidy based on current prices and only EVs that are X price or below qualify. There are solutions, we would just have to, I dunno, craft thoughtful legislation aimed at helping Americans and not companies? Sounds like a lot of work though…
Or let me put it this way: do you think lawmakers write the laws they sign? Industry groups and lobbyists write the laws, lawmakers tweak them or just sign them.
They’re banning 25 year old kei trucks, they were definitely not gonna allow China to compete.
God forbid we try to save the planet without making morbillions in shareholder value first.
God forbid we try to save the planet without making morbillions in shareholder value first.
As far as I know, the Feds aren’t banning Kei style trucks. But most states are banning them from road use. Since they do not meet highway safety standards. But that’s what makes the cheap - deleting all the safety equipment and being under powered. But you can still get as many as you like. And you are still welcome to drive them off road.
The feds aren’t banning them but there’s a 25% tarrif on importing them because of the chicken tax tarrif.
deleting all the safety equipment and being under powered
That must be why those death traps regularly kill people in all of the countries where they’re regularly used!
And even if that (crap) reason is why: ban them from the freeways, then, not from every fucking road. You know, like mopeds and similar small scooters?
First, the countries where they are popular tend to have limited higher speed roadways and the general population doesn’t want to own one anyway. And some countries simply do not care if you die in one. It is pretty hard to get seriously hurt of killed at 20mph speeds.
Second, trying to legislate where people might drive those things will prove to be futile. We both know Bubba and Ken will think “it’s only a little ways” and try to get one of these those things up on a highway speed roadway in a grossly overloaded tiny little pickup. Only to be run over by an 80,000lbs semi or smacked in the rear-end by Karen in her Suburban doing 70 mph in a 50mph zone. This is probably a very good case where the rules banning them from roads are to protect people from their own stupidity.
We kill enough people every year in the highly engineered for safety vehicles we already have. And besides, I have seen people drive and most of y’all shouldn’t.
Electric cars will not save the planet, they will save the auto industry. Use a bike to get around whenever possible if you actually care.
When China opens up it’s domestic market to international goods then the rest of the world should consider doing the same. Until then, match every barrier to entry.
Why?
Why should China be allowed to put in place barriers to entry but not the rest of the world?
So china is authoritarian and restricts their people’s market choices and the solution we are going with is just matching that? Pretty sus
Fair trade or no trade. The only way little kids learn to play fair is if the other kids stop playing with them when they cheat.
Fair trade or no trade.
Did the US ever have fair trade to begin with? It seems like we’ve got a long history of undercutting, outsourcing, and drop shipping.
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If China can sell us cheap, efficient electric cars but we can’t sell them expensive gas-guzzling ICE vehicles, it creates an unfair competitive advantage for a Chinese fleet.
On the other hand, the cheap Chinese cars are the result of a long chain of slavery and exploitation
Go on…
hell yes Americans hate cost effective stuff
Lol he’s beating Trump to it. It won’t help him at all, but it is funny because it will piss the orange asshole off.
Nice try, Joe, but I will never buy a Tesla. Ever.
I’m still more interested in one than I am a Tesla.
How can anyone see this and not see that the US is a manipulative shithole country? Champion of the free world markets except when they aren’t winning, then closed market manipulation and government interference.
The US hasn’t been ahead for many years and they can’t innovate. So now they just want to keep out actual progress.
I wouldnt call cheap cars made by slaves innovative
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the way to do it is a mile based shipping tax on all goods, but congress would have to do that. This is just dumb.
Edit: it does say these EV’s are subsidized
I haven’t read this yet but it looks relevant:
https://insideevs.com/features/719015/china-is-ahead-of-west/
Interesting read, thanks
Electric is literally life. Fossil fuel is death. Chose wisely.
It’s literally not.
Funny how when China makes a bunch of cars it’s “over capacity” and needs 100% tariffs, but Japan has been doing the same thing for decades and no one batted an eye.
I think this is to combat subsidies, but it begs the question on why other subsidized products out of china aren’t tariffed.
