TITLE:
Section 232 Tariffs: A Capital Accumulation Tool in the Name of National Security
AUTHORS:
Rong Luo
KEYWORDS:
Section 232 Investigation, National Security, Capital Accumulation, Trade Protection, Industrial Chain, Supply Chain, Global Value Chain, Order Reconstruction, Chain Power
JOURNAL NAME:
Beijing Law Review,
Vol.16 No.3,
September
5,
2025
ABSTRACT: The manuscript argues that U.S. Section 232 tariffs function less as bona-fide security measures than as instruments for monopoly capital to reshape global value chains. Drawing on historical legal analysis and a Marxist framework, the author links the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to contemporary tariff practice, detailing how ambiguous “national security” language, WTO loopholes and presidential discretion facilitate capital accumulation. The paper concludes that Section 232 exemplifies a broader struggle over rule-making power in the world economy.