PARIS, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The so-called "peril of Chinese steel" has become a campaign posture since 2016 in the United States and the China threat does not exist, according to a column published by French daily Le Monde on Thursday.
In a recent speech delivered at the headquarters of the American steelworkers' union in Pittsburgh, U.S. President Joe Biden announced his intention to triple taxes on the metal and aluminum imported from China.
Biden's attack on Chinese steel, launched at the heart of "rust belt," is just a new charm offensive aimed at a working class, the French newspaper reported.
"Since 2016, the peril of Chinese steel has become a campaign posture," it noted. "The Chinese threat does not exist, if we are to believe the data from the Census Bureau."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, imports from China account for only three percent of the country's total steel purchases, whereas data provided by the American Iron and Steel Institute indicate an even smaller proportion, at 2.1 percent, according to Le Monde.
"But Washington has decided to exert permanent, all-out pressure on China. The 'steel war' is nothing compared to the 'chip war,'" it said, adding that Washington, in the name of national security, is doing everything in its power to deprive Beijing of the latest generation of semiconductors, including by twisting the arms of its own allies. ■
