AFP

The administration of US President Joe Biden announced on Friday the maintenance, at this stage, of the tariffs imposed by Washington on China during the era of Donald Trump, some of which were supposed to end on July 06 and another part on August 23. "The tariffs did not expire on the fourth anniversary of their passage," the US Trade Representative's office said in a statement. The punitive customs duties were supposed to end. But as part of the measures, more than 300 US companies have asked to keep it. The statement explained, justifying the decision, that "the representatives of local industries indicated that they benefited from the commercial measures in several ways." He added that some sectors, for example, see that they "push the Chinese government to stop the policies and practices targeted by customs procedures" or "allow it to compete with Chinese imports, invest in new technologies, increase national production and hire additional workers." They also stressed that the measure "helped combat unfair competitive practices resulting from China's technology transfer policies and practices and encourage best policies and practices," according to the trade representative's statement. The statement said the US Trade Representative's office would no longer "review" the tariffs and consider the effects felt by companies and "the consequences for the US economy, including consumption." A first series of punitive customs duties was imposed on 06 July 2018, before three more payments. These duties affect $350 billion in annual imports from the Asian giant. Donald Trump took these measures in retaliation for Chinese trade practices that were deemed "unfair". The former Republican president condemned the "theft" of intellectual property or the "forced" transfer of technology. And the Joe Biden administration seemed divided over whether or not to keep these tariffs. Measures imposed on two lists of Chinese goods worth $200 billion and $126 billion will expire on September 24, 2022 and September 1, 2023, respectively