Tariffs Give US 'Leverage' in Talks With China, Top Trade Official Says

U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods offer a key element of leverage over Beijing, something Washington should be reluctant to relinquish, the top American trade official said Wednesday. Progress with China's unfair trade practices has been elusive, which makes the tariffs an important tool, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told lawmakers. "The China tariffs are, in my view, a significant piece of leverage and a trade negotiator never walks away from leverage," she said in testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "The United States has repeatedly sought and obtained commitments from China, only to find that lasting change remains elusive," she…