Competing priorities: tariffs and inflation

The Biden Administration is attempting to take a new approach by adopting a “worker-centric” trade policy, along with more protectionist measures than anticipated. Does this approach spell the end for globalization? Biden’s trade policy leads the US away from globalization, Politico argues. Meanwhile, Edward Alden in Foreign Policy warns of the dangers of anti-globalization. This policy approach cannot solve America’s inequality problems at once, writes Alan Beattie in the Financial Times. US trade policy risks alienating Asian trading partners at a critical moment, Bloomberg explains.

Can lifting tariffs help ease inflation? An internal debate in the Biden Administration over this question continues, according to the Wall Street Journal. In Foreign Policy, Michael Hirsh wonders whether Biden is fighting the last war on trade.

Will anti-dumping measures on solar panels stifle efforts to combat climate change? The Washington Post explores how a Commerce investigation is harming the US solar industry.

On digital trade, can the US move forward with proposals to engage Southeast Asian partners in this arena? The digital trade environment in six Southeast Asian economies is examined in a study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Mentioned Publications

Biden’s trade team: RIP globalization - Gavin Bade, Politico, 8 May 2022
Biden’s attempts to formulate a new path for trade policy are leading the US away from globalization.
The Dangerous New Anti-Globalization Consensus – Edward Alden, Foreign Policy, 3 May 2022
Unprecedented challenges are leading critics of globalization to draw the wrong conclusions about how to best address inflation and supply chain disruptions.
Biden’s No-Show on Trade Deals Risks Isolating Friends in Asia - Bloomberg News, 12 May 2022
Southeast Asian nations are frustrated with the lack of substance in US trade policy toward Asia.
Trade policy cannot fix America’s inequality problem – Alan Beattie, Op-ed: Financial Times, 11 May 2022
America’s trade policy makers are trying to resolve too many problems with the tools they have available.
Biden Officials Divided Over Easing China Tariffs to Slow Inflation - Andrew Duehren, Yuka Hayashi and Alex Leary, The Wall Street Journal, 3 May 2022
Can lifting tariffs help tame inflation, and is doing so worth the cost of longer-term trade policy goals?
Is Biden Fighting the Last War on Trade? – Michael Hirsh, Foreign Policy, 5 May 2022
Biden Administration's trade policy is beset by internal disagreements over approaches and now delays on lifting tariffs may worsen inflation.
White House alarmed that Commerce probe is ‘smothering’ solar industry – Evan Halper and Jeff Stein, The Washington Post, 7 May 2022
One small company’s petition shuts down US solar panel imports from major foreign suppliers, stalling efforts to combat climate change.
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and Digital Trade in Southeast Asia – Andreyka Natalegawa and Gregory B. Poling, Center for Strategic and International Studies, 5 May 2022
To develop the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the US should take into account the unique challenges of the digital economy and technology trade in Southeast Asia.