On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan praised President Trump’s trade strategy toward China as a “positive and needed course correction.”
In an emailed press release, Sullivan said China has been stealing intellectual property and subsidizing state-owned businesses for decades. Sullivan says the situation calls for reciprocity.
The Trump administration this week announced a 25 percent import tax on hundreds of Chinese products, such as electronics, medicine and batteries. Hours later, China announced a tax hike on a list of American goods, including soybeans, cars and airplanes. In some good news for Alaska, American seafood is not on China’s tariff list.
Both of Alaska’s U.S. senators were critical last month when Trump announced a new tariff on steel and aluminum from China and other countries. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said it would add to the cost of a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. Sullivan signed a letter last month saying the metal tariffs could drive away U.S. allies.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
