Donald Trump on the White House’s South Lawn in 2020.
Photographer: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Photographer: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
The Biden administration has “scrutinized” former President Donald Trump’s so-called phase-one trade deal with China, along with the rest of the US stance on Beijing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
“Everything that the previous administration put in place is being revised,” Psaki said in response to questions about whether President Joe Biden believes the Trump agreement is still in effect.
The trade deal Trump signed a year ago was one of his proudest achievements until the new coronavirus spread from China to the US. even as the world was on the brink of a deadly pandemic.
Under the deal, Beijing agreed to escalate purchases of US farm goods and other produce in exchange for an exemption from US tariffs. Psaki did not answer the question whether the US still expects China to honor its obligations under the agreement.
“We are focused on approaching that relationship from a strong position and that means coordinating and communicating with our allies and partners about how we will work with China,” she said. “It means strengthening our economy at home and it means determining the best way forward to address a range of issues, not just economic but strategic as well as security.”
Asked again if the deal was still in effect, she added, “I’m not assuming things are moving forward.” The government “coordinates with our allies, members of Congress and makes a decision before moving forward.”
Biden is not known to have spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office earlier this month.