Beijing Slams Biden’s Accusations of Trade Cheating as US-China Tensions Escalate

(CTN News) – Beijing accused the United States of hypocrisy on Thursday in reaction to President Joe Biden‘s charges that China is “xenophobic” and “cheating” on trade.

When asked about the statements, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian responded, “I would like to ask him: are you talking about China or the US itself?”

China’s foreign ministry questions Biden’s accusations and points to alleged US trade practices.

In an address to union members on Wednesday, Biden advocated for higher steel tariffs on China, accusing them of cheating while campaigning in Pennsylvania.

“They aren’t competing; they are cheating. “They’re cheating, and we’ve seen the consequences here in America,” the 81-year-old Biden declared to cheers at the United Steelworkers union headquarters in Pittsburgh.

The Democrat stated that Chinese steel producers “do not need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government subsidises them so heavily.”

Biden said he had asked the US Trade Representative to quadruple tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was found to be engaging in anti-competitive behavior.

“They’re xenophobic,” he explained. “They have significant problems. “I’m not looking for a fight with China; I’m looking for competition—but fair competition.”

Beijing and Washington have fought in recent years over various topics, including technology and trade, human rights, the self-ruled island of Taiwan, and the disputed South China Sea.

Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco in November and regarded the meeting as a success. Relations have since stabilized.

During a recent phone chat, the two sides disagreed over US trade restrictions on technology and Taiwan, which China claims.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen just visited China, and top diplomat Antony Blinken is expected to visit soon.

This week, the United States also announced that it will investigate China’s trade practices in shipbuilding, seafaring, and logistics.

China’s commerce ministry responded, claiming the investigation was “full of false accusations, misinterpreting normal trade and investment activities as harming US national security and corporate interests, and blaming China for its own industrial problems”.