US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs predominated at two congressional hearings on Wednesday as several Democratic lawmakers voiced fears that the sweeping measures would strain alliances as China remained a prime target.
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In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, officials from the Pentagon and the US Army largely sidestepped questions about the tariffs’ fallout, but pledged to deepen cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners – particularly Taiwan – to counter Beijing’s rising military clout.
“You are raising tariffs, 24 per cent on Japan, 25 per cent on South Korea, 32 per cent on Taiwan … How do these tariffs strengthen our alliances?” asked US congressman Seth Moulton of John Noh, who is performing the duties of the US assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs.
Moulton’s concerns aligned with those of several Democratic lawmakers at the hearing who conveyed scepticism over the broader strategic consequences of Trump’s trade policies on the Indo-Pacific.
US congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, for example, said Trump’s tariff threats had pushed Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul into holding a trilateral meeting to stem the pressure.
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Meanwhile, US congressman Joe Courtney of Connecticut asked whether tariffs on Australia could undermine the Aukus alliance, a trilateral security grouping that includes the two long-time allies as well as Britain.