U.S. tariff hikes on China's clean energy goods impede decarbonization: expert

RIYADH, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The Biden administration's significant tariff hikes on China's clean energy goods could severely hinder the United States' decarbonization efforts, a leading expert on energy strategy has warned.

Robin Mills, chief executive officer of Qamar Energy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said in an article published Monday that the act is "purely politics," as Biden aims to protect manufacturing jobs in swing states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania in the current election year.

According to media reports, the United States announced on Tuesday that it would impose increased tariffs on a variety of clean energy products from China, including electric vehicles (EVs), with EV tariffs jumping from 25 percent to 100 percent. Tariffs on solar panels, semiconductors, and other key green technologies are also expected to rise.

In the article published on The National, a UAE state-owned daily newspaper, Mills, also author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis, said such a punitive tariff policy aims to suppress a rising China, out of "fears."

"We needn't suppose such a punitive tariff policy applies only to imports from China," he said. "If India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, or anyone else becomes a serious competitor in new energy tech to American incumbents, they, too, will face trade barriers."

In addition, the tariffs will slow down decarbonization in the United States, as making solar panels, batteries, EVs, and other green technologies more expensive and harder to qualify for subsidies contradicts the climate objectives, Mills said.

"Emissions reductions will be slower. That is at odds with official climate objectives in the EU and from the U.S. Democratic Party," he said.

Moreover, the tariff hikes would further chill the cold peace between the United States and China, damaging international cooperation on climate and on other key issues, the expert noted.

Instead of trying to isolate economies, "we should work together in as broad and open networks as possible," including other constructive partners like Japan, South Korea, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, India, and Indonesia, Mills added.