Biden administration ‘strike force’ to combat unfair trade

Task force will work to strengthen US supply chains that officials say have been weakened by unfair trade practices.

The United States will target China with a new “strike force” to combat unfair trade practices, the Biden administration announced on Tuesday, as it rolled out findings of a review of US access to critical products, from semiconductors to electric-vehicle batteries. The “supply chain trade strike force”, led by the US trade representative, will look for specific violations that have contributed to a “hollowing out” of supply chains that could be addressed with trade remedies, including towards China, senior administration officials told reporters. Officials also said the Department of Commerce was considering initiating a Section 232 investigation into the national security impact of neodymium magnet imports used in motors and other industrial applications, which the US largely sources from China.