Mr. Biden himself has said in recent weeks that he is considering a tariff cut, noting that the levies were introduced by the previous administration.

The U.S. and China signed a trade deal in 2020, but the U.S. kept most levies on Chinese imports as a means to ensure compliance with the accord's provisions, including promises to increase purchases of U.S. goods.

Beijing has fallen far short of that purchase commitment.

Ms. Tai, who was appointed by Mr. Biden, has repeatedly defended the tariffs as a useful tool in confronting China over its trade practices.

"The China tariffs are, in my view, a significant piece of leverage, and a trade negotiator never walks away from leverage," Ms. Tai told a Senate subcommittee meeting on June 22.

China has long pressed the U.S. to ease the tariffs, contending they hurt both countries.

"With inflation rates running high across the globe, the U.S. needs to lift all the additional tariffs imposed on China, as this will serve the interests of businesses and consumers and benefit both countries and the world at large," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a June 15 press conference.

Eoin Treacy's view

The Biden administration is panicking about inflation if they are truly considering removing sanctions on China. The one hallmark of this government has been the continuity of policy with regard to China so a change would likely be viewed by markets as positive and particularly so for China since they would be under much less pressure to comply with trade agreements.

The CSI 300 continues to unwind a short-term over sold condition and is now back above the 200-day MA. A sustained move below 4000 would be required to question recovery potential.