美国将“关税武器化”是搬起石头砸自己的脚

Tariff weaponization shoots US in the foot: China Daily editorial

No matter whether US President Joe Biden vetoes or not the congressional efforts to overturn his two-year tariff waiver on solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations this week, it is the United States that has paid and will continue to pay for his administration’s self-deceptive weaponization of tariffs.

近期，美国国会希望撤销美国政府给予四个东南亚国家两年太阳能面板关税豁免的政策，无论拜登总统是否否决该法案，美国都为自欺欺人的“关税武器化”做法付出了代价，并将继续付出代价。

In June, Biden waived tariffs on panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in an effort to create a “bridge” while the US ramps up manufacturing enough to end its reliance on solar panels from China to achieve its climate change goals.

2022年6月，拜登总统宣布将对来自柬埔寨、马来西亚、泰国和越南的太阳能组件给予24个月的进口关税豁免，在提升美国的制造能力以摆脱对中国太阳能电池板依赖的同时，试图以此“过渡”，满足国内应对气候变化项目的需求。

More than eight months into the tariff waiver, with the four Southeast Asian countries now accounting for about 80 percent of the US’ solar panel supplies, US manufacturers are urging lawmakers to block the executive order of the president to restore the tariffs otherwise they cannot compete with the cheap panels made overseas. The legislation, in support of those calls, and which both Democrats and Republicans endorse, is expected to come up for a full vote in the House as soon as this week.

截至目前，该政策已经实施八个多月，这四个东南亚国家占美国太阳能电池板供应量的80%左右。为了与海外制造的廉价太阳能电池板竞争，美国制造商敦促立法者恢复对这四个国家的太阳能电池板关税，撤销拜登的豁免令。这项法案得到了民主党和共和党的支持，预计最早将于本周在众议院进行全体投票。

However, the Biden administration thinks its policy has worked well and points to an increase in domestic solar manufacturing capacity since it took office, although without giving any statistics.

然而，拜登政府认为，该政策已经奏效，并指出自其上任以来，美国内太阳能制造能力有所提高，虽然没有任何统计数据支撑。

“This legislation would sabotage US energy security,” Ali Zaidi, Biden’s national climate adviser, told the media. “It’s not about slowing things down. It’s about fundamentally undermining our progress toward increased energy security and having the tools we need to attack the climate crisis.”

拜登的国家气候顾问阿里·赛迪对媒体表示，“这项立法将破坏美国的能源安全。这将从根本上破坏我们在提高能源安全、拥有应对气候危机所需工具方面的进展。”

That means, although it has not stated it directly, the Biden administration thinks that US solar panel manufacturers are not yet competitive enough to outcompete Chinese companies, since to block that tariff waiver now means to reopen the US market to Chinese panels again after an eight-month respite.

这意味着，尽管拜登政府没有直接说明，但他们认为美国的太阳能电池板制造商还没有足够的竞争力超越中国企业。现在撤销关税豁免，意味着在八个月的喘息之后，美国市场将再次向中国太阳能电池板开放。

The Biden administration has also ignored a question lawmakers demand it answer: What if Chinese manufacturers relocate their production lines to the four Southeast Asian countries to take advantage of its zero-tariff policy to access the US market.

拜登政府还忽略了立法者要求其回答的问题： 如果中国制造商将其生产线迁移到这四个东南亚国家，以利用对该地区的关税豁免政策进入美国市场，美国该如何应对？

Due to their unparalleled cost-performance, China’s share in all the manufacturing stages of solar panels exceeds 80 percent. It is almost impossible for the US, and other major consumers of solar panels, to shun away from Chinese equipment completely.

目前，中国在太阳能电池板全部关键制造部分的份额超过80%，具有无与伦比的性价比优势。美国和其他太阳能电池板的主要消费者几乎无法避免购买中国制造的设备。

What’s more, the fact that the Biden administration has been able to advance its ambitious green energy program at home is largely attributable to its zero-tariff policy for solar panels. That has been done without the energy security of the US being compromised or threatened by China.

更重要的是，拜登政府之所以能够在国内推进其雄心勃勃的绿色能源计划，主要归功于实施太阳能电池板关税豁免政策。这是在美国的能源安全没有受到中国的影响或威胁的情况下做到的。