Critz Calls for Immediate WTO Action on China's Illegal Duties on American Vehicle Imports
Rep. Mark Critz (D-PA) News Release
Feb 07, 2012 (Menafn - Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) --WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Mark S. Critz (PA-12) called today for the immediate initiation of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute contesting the recent duties China has imposed on American vehicles.
China's Ministry of Commerce recently announced that China will levy antidumping and countervailing duties on certain U.S. vehicle imports. The tariffs will be applied to passenger cars and sports utility vehicles with engine capacities of 2.5 liters or more.
Congressman Critz, who noted that China is now the world's largest auto market, called these duties, "unacceptable and unjustified - the latest in a continued pattern of unfair trade practices by the Chinese government."
In a letter today to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ronald Kirk, Critz said, "In the last decade alone, six million American manufacturing jobs and 55,000 plants have been lost. We must stop China's abusive practices that cost countless American jobs and contribute to our enormous trade deficit. Stronger U.S. manufacturing will help keep America a place of world-leading innovation with a strong middle class."
Just last week, a new report by the Economic Policy Institute showed that more than 400,000 jobs in the U.S. auto supply chain have been lost since 2000 and another 1.6 million are at risk unless China's illegal trading practices are curtailed. The report cites 27.5 billion in government subsidies to the Chinese auto-parts industry from 2001 to 2011, contributing to a surge in China's exports of products including tires, engines, electrical and electronic equipment, and others.
In September 2010, Critz urged the Obama Administration to begin an immediate investigation into China's wind power equipment subsidies. An investigation by the USTR was initiated on October 15, 2010 and in June 2011 China ended these subsidies.
Read this original document at: http://critz.house.gov/news/press-releases/2012/02/critz-calls-for-immediate-wto-action-on-chinas-illegal-duties-on-american-vehicle-imports.shtml
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