Opinion

US, China protectionism race benefits no one

To counter competition from China, the United States is becoming more like China, and Australia and other nations have joined the game.

Shiro ArmstrongTrade expert

May 26, 2024 – 5.22pm

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This year’s annual US trade report to Congress contained some unintended irony. “China continues to provide massive subsidies to its domestic industries, which have caused injury to US industries and the industries of other WTO members,” the report read.

The Biden administration has itself deployed massive subsidies under its Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act since 2022.

Shiro Armstrong is a professor and director of the Australia–Japan Research Centre at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.