Biden says US WON'T DECOUPLE from China during G7 meeting in Japan

By ramontomeydw // 2023-05-25

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President Joe Biden reiterated that the U.S. is "not looking to decouple … from China" during the recently concluded Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Japan. He made the remarks during a May 21 press conference at the Hilton Hiroshima hotel. The chief executive's comments only underlined his support of globalism and his clear disregard of millions of American jobs lost. "We're not looking to decouple from China. We're looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China. That means taking steps to diversify our supply chains … so we're not dependent on any one country for necessary product," Biden said. (Related: A look back at the Biden family's China business ties.) "It means resisting economic coercion together and countering harmful practices that hurt our workers. It means protecting a narrow set of advanced technologies critical for our national security." Biden also emphasized that the G7 is "united in [its] approach" to China, citing a May 20 joint statement outlining "shared principles" the group agreed upon. This refusal to decouple from China has had serious economic repercussions for the U.S., according to the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA). It noted in a May 4 article that since 2001, U.S. free trade with China has eliminated 3.8 million American jobs – with 2.89 million in the manufacturing sector. "States that have a large concentration of technology firms, such as California and Texas, lost a significant number of manufacturing jobs," CPA noted. "China's strategic focus on the export of computers and consumer electronics severely impacted domestic manufacturers in these industries." Back in 1985, the U.S. trade deficit with China totaled $6 billion. However, things changed in 2001 when Beijing became a member of the World Trade Organization. Washington granted China permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status during that same year. This, according to CPA, "gave permanent preferential treatment to Chinese manufactured goods and encouraged the offshoring of manufacturing." This also resulted in the growth of the U.S. trade deficit with China by more than $300 billion – with the 2022 deficit amounting to $382.9 billion.

GOP politicians call for decoupling with China ASAP

Biden's comments at the May 21 press conference did not sit well with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). He took to Twitter to voice out his discontent: "Tell that to the four million American workers who have lost their jobs to China." Hawley recently introduced a "Worker's Agenda" that would see Washington end its job-killing free trade policy with China. He is not alone in this endeavor as four of his colleagues introduced a related bill. The proposal introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL ) and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) seeks to end China's PNTR status. According to the senators, this PNTR designation is to blame for eliminating or drastically cutting U.S. tariffs on China-made goods – resulting in a skyrocketing trade deficit and nationwide job losses. Even Peter Navarro, former director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, advocated for a decoupling with China through reciprocal tariffs. He gave this advice through an analysis incorporated in the Heritage Foundation's "Mandate for Leadership" report. The report is designed to be a policy guide for Republican presidential administrations. Moreover, Navarro wrote that the next GOP president should prioritize the expansion of U.S. tariffs "to all Chinese products" and the increase of tariff rates to levels that will block out 'Made in China' products. The erstwhile economic advisor for former President Donald Trump, however, called for the execution of this strategy "in a manner and at a pace that will not expose the U.S. to lack of access to essential products, like key pharmaceuticals." Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, recently told lawmakers that the U.S. should suspend free trade with China. "We should suspend or revoke normalized trade relations with China," he testified before the members of the House Select Committee on China. "The Chinese Communist Party certainly doesn't deserve the same trade status as our allies and reciprocal partners." According to Paul, America's "hubris and neglect aided Beijing's ambitions, weakened [U.S.] capabilities and hollowed out [the American] middle class." Watch this G News report about Germany and Italy wanting to decouple from China. This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com.

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GOP politicians call for decoupling with China ASAP

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