Remarks on Signing a Memorandum Imposing United States Tariffs on Certain Chinese Imports and an Exchange With Reporters

This record captures the remarks delivered by President Biden at the signing of a memorandum imposing tariffs on certain Chinese imports, along with an exchange with reporters. The underlying memorandum directed the United States Trade Representative to increase tariffs on specific categories of Chinese goods — including electric vehicles, solar cells, steel, aluminum, and certain medical products — under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The remarks provided context for the policy, framing it as a response to unfair Chinese trade practices and an effort to protect American workers and manufacturing.

The tariff increases directly affect importers and consumers of the targeted Chinese products, domestic manufacturers who compete with those products, and the broader U.S.-China trade relationship. Sectors like electric vehicles, clean energy, and steel are particularly affected. American workers in those industries are among the intended beneficiaries of the protective measures.

Signing ceremony remarks and press exchanges are part of the official presidential record but carry no independent legal weight. The underlying Section 301 tariff authority is delegated by Congress to the President through the Trade Act of 1974, and its exercise has been contested in courts, though the executive branch has broad discretion in determining what constitutes an unfair trade practice.

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