To counter China, US trade rep seeks closer ties to allies

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee about the Biden administration's trade policy agenda, March 24, 2023. [VOA]

The Biden administration is pressing its case for a new approach to global trade, arguing that America's traditional reliance on promoting free trade pacts failed to anticipate China's brass-knuckled brand of capitalism and the possibility a major power like Russia would go to war against one of its trading partners.

In a speech Wednesday at American University, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai called for a strategy of what's known as "friend-shoring'' - building up supply chains among allied countries and reducing dependence on geopolitical rivals such as China. Rising tension with Beijing and supply-chain bottlenecks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the risks of relying too heavily on Chinese suppliers.