Greer: "We Will Not Back Down Against China"... USTR Requests Additional Funding for Trade War

The Donald Trump administration in the United States has announced that it will maintain a hardline stance against China and requested additional funding to continue the trade war. The United States is set to hold a summit with China next month.

Jamieison Greer, United States Trade Representative (USTR), held a press conference at the White House on the 2nd (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

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Jamison Greer, United States Trade Representative (USTR), explained the need for additional funds while appearing before the House Appropriations Committee on the 16th (local time). The USTR has requested a budget of 95 million dollars for the 2027 fiscal year, which is an increase of 7 million dollars compared to last year’s 88 million dollars. This also includes a 10 million dollar increase for the International Trade Administration (ITA) to strengthen trade law enforcement.

Representative Greer acknowledged the possibility of retaliation from China but reaffirmed the administration’s hardline policy, saying, “We will not back down.” He stated that China “always targets farmers” when responding to U.S. actions against unfair trade practices, and emphasized that the administration will press ahead with its policies even if faced with retaliatory measures.

The United States believes that China is excessively expanding its production capacity in sectors such as electric vehicles, steel, and solar power through state subsidies, and that it is disrupting the global market with low-priced exports. In particular, the U.S. claims that, in the rare earth sector, China is attempting to undermine Western production bases and strengthen its dominance over supply chains by dumping prices.

Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. and its allies have also increased pressure in key mineral sectors such as rare earth elements by building a “mineral supply chain bloc” through multilateral agreements. They are establishing price floors to block the inflow of cheap Chinese products and jointly managing the supply of strategic resources.

Representative Greer stated that at the U.S.-China summit scheduled for April 14-15 in Beijing, whether China fulfills its commitment to purchase U.S. soybeans will be a key agenda item. Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, had previously stated at the end of October last year, after the U.S.-China summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, that China had agreed to purchase 25 million tons of soybeans annually. However, the Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that “Beijing has not made such a promise.”

The Hill, a U.S. political news outlet, noted that this budget hearing was held after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariff measures. Subsequently, President Trump introduced a 10% tariff on goods from around the world based on Section 122 of the Trade Act. This measure is set to expire on July 24. The USTR is investigating unfair trade practices by country under Section 301 of the Trade Act and plans to impose additional tariffs on countries where unfair practices are confirmed.

Representative Greer also reaffirmed this stance during a phone briefing with reporters the previous day, stating, “The Trump administration has launched investigations into tax policies and trade practices of countries such as Korea.” He added, “This investigation is expected to uncover various unfair trade practices related to excess production capacity and overproduction in the manufacturing sector.”

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