USTR Tai says fighting inflation more complicated than cutting China tariffs

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said on Monday that mitigating inflation is a more complicated issue than can be addressed with a "singular focus" on China tariffs, and that it was important to bring a "thoughtful, deliberate, strategic" approach to the U.S. China trade relationship.

Tai said in remarks to the Washington International Trade Association that inflation was "scary" and was hurting Americans' pocketbooks, but was a complicated issue with many causes.

"The economy is large and there are a lot of pressure points and levers in that economy," Tai sad. "If we're going to take on an issue like inflation, and given the seriousness that it requires, then our approach to tools for mitigating and addressing that inflation, need to respect that it is a more complicated issue."