Times are tough and inflation is rising. In the US, this has led for calls for President Joe Biden to lift or lower Trump-era tariffs on certain Chinese imports. The Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said that some “reductions may be warranted”. But, as she and many other economists acknowledge, tariffs targeting a mere 3.6 per cent of the US economy are hardly a panacea for inflation. Indeed, the US-China tariffs distract from the real trade tug of war: global competitiveness in key industries.
時局艱難,通膨不斷上升。在美國,人們爲此呼籲喬•拜登總統(Joe Biden)取消或降低川普時代對某些中國進口商品加徵的關稅。美國財政部長珍妮特•葉倫(Janet Yellen)曾表示,一些「削減可能是有必要的」。但正如她和其他許多經濟學家所承認的,美中相互加徵的關稅所針對的商品價值僅相當於美國經濟的3.6%,從這些關稅著手並不是解決通膨問題的靈丹妙藥。事實上,美中關稅轉移了人們對真正的貿易拉鋸戰——在關鍵行業的全球競爭力——的注意力。