Relatedly, some of President-elect Donald Trump’s reported cabinet appointments have a history of pushing for tougher policies towards China.
Will 2025 officially mark the beginning of a new era in U.S.-China trade?
multiple news report House Republicans will introduce a bill in the next Congress that would revoke Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status, which was first granted to China in 2000 as part of a misguided strategy to open China’s market and eventually lead to democracy. (Spoiler: Strategy Failed).
According to punch bowl newsHouse Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Missouri) and Communist Party of China Select Committee on China (CCP) Chairman John Muellner (R-Mich.) We’ve been working on them separately, but in parallel.” situation. The two have also been in touch with Robert Lighthizer, who served as U.S. trade representative during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term and is rumored to be returning for a second Trump administration.
Punch Bowl includes even more features:
This new law A person familiar with the proposal said it would move early in the next legislative session. Republicans believe they can gain support from Democrats.
Focus on House Republican efforts The question is whether to strip China of its PNTR designation or force Congress to renew it every few years.
The United States Manufacturing Alliance strongly supports stripping China of its normalized trade status. When our President Scott Paul recommended to do so When testifying before the Chinese Communist Party Special Committee in 2023, he said, “The Chinese Communist Party does not deserve the same trading status as allies such as Taiwan, Norway, and the United Kingdom.”
In fact, granting China the PNTR ultimately gave the Chinese Communist Party unwarranted legitimacy and encouraged many bad practices. Almost 25 years after the passage of the PNTR, China has gone from strength to strength. more authoritarianwith the government suppressed democracy in Hong Kongongoing Oversee the cultural genocide of the Uyghur people,and stir up tensions over Taiwan.
China’s economy also remains state-run. Western brands operating in China are facing increasing hostility. leave the country. China continues to break trade rules in an effort to dominate global markets through tactics such as state-owned enterprises, massive government subsidies, intellectual property theft, currency fraud, and lax labor and environmental standards.
PNTR, on the other hand, is an absolute disaster for American workers and manufacturers; china shock I saw that millions of jobs lost And ultimately, U.S. production capacity will be lost. some important sector.
No wonder, then, that there is growing support for eliminating China’s preferential trade status. If the bill moves forward, Republicans are likely to enlist at least a few Democrats to join the effort. Similar legislation has garnered bipartisan support. In the previous Congress.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump and his team are also likely to support the move. The official 2024 Republican Party Platform advocates policies that “ensure strategic independence from China.” Including cancellation of PNTR. It’s also worth pointing out that as a senator, Vice President-elect JD Vance said: Sponsored the China Trade Relations ActChina will then return to its pre-PNTR trade status.
President Trump’s reported Cabinet reshuffles suggest that his administration will take a tougher stance toward China. Representative Mike Walz (R-Florida), who was reportedly chosen by President Trump to be his National Security Adviser, is a member of the House China Task Force. called “China Hawk” It was featured in many media. Walz also advocates strengthening U.S. production capacity, including by securing critical mineral supply chains. He also Sponsored legislation to strengthen American shipbuilding and counter China’s dominance in this field.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is said to be President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, has long called for a number of policy approaches designed to counter China.. In fact, in 2020 he even attended the webinar We hosted a lecture on the importance of strengthening U.S. manufacturing capacity and expanding supply chains, and he took a tougher stance on the Chinese Communist Party.
“We have no conflict with the Chinese people. They are the biggest victims of the Chinese Communist Party in the world. Our problem is the Chinese Communist Party, and through the Chinese Communist Party government, it is important for the 21st century. They have embarked on an effort to dominate the world in important areas, and our policies allow them to do so,” Rubio said. “They’re taking advantage of what we’ve allowed them to do, so we have to bring balance back to that relationship.”
