Washington is not seeking to decouple the US economy from China’s, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (戴琪) said yesterday while on a visit to Tokyo.
Tai, who is on her fourth visit to Japan after being appointed the top US trade envoy, said all members of US President Joe Biden’s administration have been “very clear that it is not the intention to decouple” from China’s economy.
US trade sanctions against China are “narrowly targeted,” she said.
Photo: Reuters
Given its huge size and importance, unraveling the ties with China that keep the world economy running is “not a goal or achievable,” Tai said in a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.
Chinese officials have often lashed out at the US over trade sanctions and other restrictions on sharing of advanced technology with China, accusing Washington of trying to “contain” China and hinder its path toward greater affluence.
Tai said that regular trade work between the US and China was continuing and she was “completely open to engaging with my counterparts in Beijing,” although she has no immediate plans to visit China.
At the same time, the US is seeking to strengthen and expand economic security cooperation with its Asian allies and partners in response to China’s growing assertiveness and its dominance in many manufacturing industries.
Security and stability of supply chains is an issue that has gained urgency after disruptions caused by the pandemic and controls imposed to try to fight outbreaks of COVID-19 resulted in shortages of computer chips and other goods.
A recent agreement on trade in critical minerals would allow electric vehicles using metals sourced or processed in Japan to qualify for tax breaks under the US’ Inflation Reduction Act.
That deal is one evidence of the US commitment to “building collective resilience and security,” Tai said.
“We have all experienced the fragility of our dispersed supply chains in recent years, especially through the pandemic and Russia’s brutal, unjustified attack on Ukraine. And we’ve become too reliant, we have discovered, on certain countries for the supply of critical minerals needed to fuel our clean energy future,” Tai said.
The Biden administration has been adopting a new approach to global trade, arguing that the US’ traditional reliance on promoting free-trade pacts failed to anticipate China’s brand of capitalism and the possibility that a major power like Russia would go to war against one of its trading partners.
Tai’s Tokyo visit follows a trip to the Philippine capital, Manila, to help fortify trade relations among the three countries as they build both economic and defense ties.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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