GOP Sen. Hawley to propose revoking China's trade status

Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley will reportedly introduce legislation on Tuesday that would revoke China's privileged trade status within the U.S. and enable Washington to impose higher tariffs on Beijing's goods.

The bill would revoke China's normal trade status and further empower the president to raise tariff rates, according to Politico, which obtained the bill.

"As we face a new age of competition with China, we need an agenda in Washington that will make our working class strong and independent," Hawley said. "We can start by revoking the sweetheart deal D.C. elites handed to China 23 years ago - end normal trade relations, put in place strong tariffs, and protect American workers."

U.S.-China trade in 2021 totaled $650 billion, the outlet noted. Former President Donald Trump had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods and attempted to renegotiate trade agreements with the communist regime. He further attempted to either ban or force the sale of TikTok, but was unsuccessful.

Wariness of China has increasingly become a bipartisan stance in recent years, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling for an outright ban on TikTok and House representatives overwhelmingly backing the creation of a subcommittee on strategic competition with China to address economic and security concerns.

In early March, the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a plan to grant President Joe Biden the ability to enact greater restrictions on the Chinese social media platform, which the federal government has already ordered be removed from official devices.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.