CWR > Volume 8(1); 2022 > Prof. Malawer’s US-China Trade Commentary
Research Article
Published online: March 1, 2022
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14330/cwr.2022.8.1.07
Biden’s Trade Policies - Year One: Same as Trump’s or More Aggressive?
Stuart S. Malawer
George Mason University
3351 Fairfax Dr., MS 3B1, Arlington, Virginia 22201 USA.
Corresponding Author: StuartMalawer@msn.com
ⓒ Copyright YIJUN Institute of International Law. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
After President Biden’s first year in office, one big question is whether the Biden trade policy differs from the Trump chaos. My answer is no. I consider Biden’s trade policy to be Trump without the tweets. They both relied on unilateral measures and broadened protectionist ones. In fact, Biden not only relies upon Trump’s actions but also has expanded them. Trade policies have not changed much between Presidents Trump and Biden. In fact, Biden, relying upon Trump’s actions, has kept them in place. There has been a slight change in tune: a little more reconciliation with Europe and the OECD. However, it is extremely difficult to identify any significant difference concerning China, Russia, and Iran. Has Trump’s America First policy morphed into Biden’s America First or worker-centric trade policy? It looks that way. Let’s look at what Trump did, what Biden has done so far, and the challenges ahead.
Keywords : US Tariff and Trade Policy, Biden and Trade, Trump and Trade, US-China Trade, National Security and Trade
