White House unveils new protectionist tariffs on Chinese-made EVs

WASHINGTON -- The White House unveiled on Tuesday new tariffs on imports of electric vehicles, solar cells and other clean-energy products from China, in a protectionist move widely believed to imperil the American ambition to enhance competitiveness and slash carbon emissions.

According to the plan, the tariffs on Chinese EV imports will jump from some 25 percent to 100 percent. And with an additional 2.5-percent tariff on all vehicles imported into the US market, the total levies on Chinese EVs will be an astounding 102.5 percent.

The newly announced tariff hike is mostly a symbolic gesture as the Biden administration is trying to look tough on China amid the increasingly fierce presidential election battle.

The current levies, first launched by former US President Donald Trump in 2018 and reviewed by the Biden administration, have effectively kept Chinese vehicles out of US auto market.