President Biden has called on the U.S. Trade Representative to triple existing tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from China, to 22.5%.

The president made the announcement on April 17, asserting that low-priced, "emissions-intensive" Chinese aluminum and steel is undercutting U.S. manufacturers. Biden went on to criticize what he labeled "unfair Chinese trade practices," where below-market cost steel has flooded into the global shipbuilding market.

The existing U.S. tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum is 7.5%, which Biden said he would like to see tripled to 22.5%. He is also telling his senior team to work with Mexico to prevent China from circumventing the tariffs. China has been known to sell steel and aluminum to Mexico, whence it's then imported into the U.S., without the 7.5% levy. 

“China is simply too big to play by its own rules," the head of Biden's National Economic Council Lael Brainard told The New York Times. 

Low-priced Chinese products have long been a concern for Biden. His administration says it has conducted nearly 27 investigations into anti-competitive actions by Chinese exporters and efforts by countries like China to avoid trade rules.