Higher tariffs on Chinese imports needed to defend U.S. workers
For Immediate Release: October 24, 2025
Washington, D.C. — The United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched on Oct. 24 a Section 301 investigation of China’s implementation of the Phase One Agreement that Beijing negotiated with the first Trump administration in 2019. The investigation paves the way for additional tariffs on Chinese imports ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.
“There should be bipartisan support for this new Section 301 trade case targeting China’s noncompliance. I commend USTR for initiating it,” Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) President Scott Paul said. “China has proven time and time again that it is not a reliable trade partner. For decades, it has flouted the world’s trade rules and violated the agreement it’s made with the United States.
“Holding Beijing accountable for its flagrant disrespect of trade norms is an essential step to reaching a U.S.-China trade deal that defends America’s workers and manufacturers.”
Paul called on the Trump administration to sustain tariffs at “a level high enough to limit import volumes” and urged Congress to repeal China’s permanent normal trade relations status in a recent opinion.
The USTR alleges that China has failed to fulfill its Phase One Agreement commitments “with respect to non-tariff barriers, market access issues, and purchases of U.S. goods and services.”
Paul is available for interviews.
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