WASHINGTON 鈥 President-elect Joseph R. Biden has pledged to work more closely with US allies in confronting China on trade, and is seen as unlikely to roll back his predecessor鈥檚 tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, Chinese and European goods any time soon.
鈥淚鈥檝e been told that if you close your eyes, you might not be able to tell the difference鈥 between the Biden and Trump trade agendas, said Nasim Fussell, former Republican trade counsel at the US Senate Finance Committee. 鈥淏iden鈥檚 not going to be quick to unravel some of these tariffs.鈥
Mr. Biden, who captured the presidency on Saturday after days of vote counting, was elected with the strong backing of trade unions and progressives who have been skeptical of past free trade deals, so he will face pressure to maintain protections for vulnerable industries, such as steel and aluminum.
His top economic priority will be to revive an economy slammed by the coronavirus pandemic, so trade agreements will likely take a back seat to stimulus efforts and infrastructure development.
Biden advisers say he will seek to end 鈥渁rtificial trade wars鈥 with Europe and would immediately consult with US allies before deciding on the future of US tariffs on Chinese goods, in a bid for 鈥渃ollective leverage鈥 against Beijing.
Former Trump and Obama administration trade officials say that in order to roll back tariffs on Chinese goods, Biden would likely demand the same basic concessions from China that Trump did: curbing massive subsidies to state-controlled firms, ending policies that force US companies to transfer technology to Chinese counterparts, and opening its digital services markets to US tech firms (another big Biden donor constituency).
鈥淎ny president will have these on their agenda, but they鈥檙e going to be really difficult,鈥 said Jamieson Greer, who served until April as chief of staff at the US Trade Representative鈥檚 (USTR) office.
MORE PREDICTABLE
A Biden administration will be more predictable on trade after Trump鈥檚 abrupt shifts and tariff threats, said Wendy Cutler, a former USTR trade negotiator.
鈥淭he days of advisers scrambling to implement what they learn through presidential tweets will be in the past,鈥 said Ms. Cutler, vice-president at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
Mr. Biden is not seen likely to try to revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-country Pacific Rim trade deal negotiated by the Obama administration but abandoned by Trump in 2017.
Instead, reforming the badly damaged World Trade Organization with new rules against subsidies and other non-market practices is viewed as a bigger priority. 鈥 David Lawder/Reuters
