09:27 AM EDT, 04/17/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US President Joe Biden called on the US Trade Representative to consider tripling the 7.5% average tariff on steel and aluminum imports from China, the White House said Wednesday.

The White House said that 7.5% is the current average tariff on certain steel and aluminum products under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

"American workers continue to face unfair competition from Chinese imports of steel and aluminum products, which are among the world's most emissions-intensive," according to the White House statement. "Chinese policies and subsidies for their domestic steel and aluminum industries means high-quality US products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions."

In a separate statement Wednesday, the US Trade Representative said it was initiating a Section 301 investigation into China's acts, policies and practices that target the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries "for dominance" as alleged by five national labor unions in their petition filed in March.