U.S. defends tariffs in court / KBS 2025.11.03.　#KBSNews

The U.S. Supreme Court is about to begin hearings to determine whether the Trump administration’s global tariff policies — which have pressured not only Korea but many countries worldwide — are lawful.

The U.S. government maintains that its tariffs were justified, claiming they protected the country from China’s rare earth export threats.

Our Washington correspondent, Kim Ji-sook, reports.

[Report]

Ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearing on the global reciprocal tariff disputes, the Trump administration launched a public campaign — first defining China’s restriction on rare earth exports as a national emergency, and asserting that the president’s authority to impose tariffs in response was legitimate

[Scott Bessent/U.S. Treasury Secretary: “By threatening the 100% tariffs under the IEEPA authority, the president was able to get the Chinese to delay this. So if that’s not an emergency…”]

Bessent also said China’s export of fentanyl precursors had posed another national emergency, emphasizing that tariffs pressured China to change its behavior.

He warned that because China remains an unreliable partner, the U.S. would raise tariffs again if Beijing violates the rare earth supply agreement.

Just days after the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary trade truce during their summit, Washington has thrown a clear warning pitch.

[Scott Bessent/U.S. Treasury Secretary: “We don’t want to decouple from China, but we need to derisk. They’ve shown themselves to be an unreliable partner in many areas.”]

President Trump’s recent declaration that he would not allow the sale of NVIDIA’s advanced AI chip Blackwell to other countries is also seen as primarily aimed at China.

Although the trade truce has temporarily eased tensions between the two nations, observers warn that conflicts could flare up again at any time.

There are also growing concerns that Korean companies caught between the two superpowers may once again face fallout from the escalating rivalry.

This is Kim Ji-sook, KBS News, in Washington.

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