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US group blasts fees on imports of pipes
Source: Xinhua |
September 12, 2009, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A COALITION body of United States industries has expressed strong dissatisfaction with a US decision to impose preliminary duties on imports of China-made steel pipes, saying the protectionist move would hurt US companies.
The trade restrictions would "hurt US industries by raising their costs and making sources of supply uncertain," Eugene Patrone, executive director of the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition, said on Thursday.
He noted that the tariffs would make oil and gas exploration and production more expensive and delay projects, which "is against our national goal of being less dependent on imported energy."
The US Commerce Department issued a preliminary decision on Wednesday to impose duties ranging from 10.9 percent to 30.6 percent on steel pipe imports from China. The department charged that China is unfairly subsidizing exports of the US$2.6 billion steel pipe industry, whose products are used for oil and gas wells.
"There are already more new cases under the anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws in the US this year than all of 2008. Most of these new cases involve Chinese products," said Patrone.
"CITAC believes the trade laws are too protectionist and fail to consider the impact on downstream industries."
China also strongly opposed the US decision, saying that it is a protectionist move.
"China expressed strong dissatisfaction and is resolutely opposed to this," said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian.
"This does not comply with WTO agreements on subsidies. The US used an incorrect method to define and calculate the subsidies, which has resulted in an artificially high subsidy rate, hurting Chinese firms' interests," said Yao.
The tariffs go into effect immediately, but since the finding is preliminary, US Customs and Border Protection officials will collect cash deposits or bonds. If the preliminary finding is not upheld, the money will be returned, according to The Washington Post.
The onset of the global recession appears to have set off more trade disputes globally.
Worldwide, new requests for protection from imports in the first half of this year are up 18.5 percent over the first half of last year, according to the World Bank-sponsored Global Anti-dumping Database.
The trade restrictions would "hurt US industries by raising their costs and making sources of supply uncertain," Eugene Patrone, executive director of the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition, said on Thursday.
He noted that the tariffs would make oil and gas exploration and production more expensive and delay projects, which "is against our national goal of being less dependent on imported energy."
The US Commerce Department issued a preliminary decision on Wednesday to impose duties ranging from 10.9 percent to 30.6 percent on steel pipe imports from China. The department charged that China is unfairly subsidizing exports of the US$2.6 billion steel pipe industry, whose products are used for oil and gas wells.
"There are already more new cases under the anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws in the US this year than all of 2008. Most of these new cases involve Chinese products," said Patrone.
"CITAC believes the trade laws are too protectionist and fail to consider the impact on downstream industries."
China also strongly opposed the US decision, saying that it is a protectionist move.
"China expressed strong dissatisfaction and is resolutely opposed to this," said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian.
"This does not comply with WTO agreements on subsidies. The US used an incorrect method to define and calculate the subsidies, which has resulted in an artificially high subsidy rate, hurting Chinese firms' interests," said Yao.
The tariffs go into effect immediately, but since the finding is preliminary, US Customs and Border Protection officials will collect cash deposits or bonds. If the preliminary finding is not upheld, the money will be returned, according to The Washington Post.
The onset of the global recession appears to have set off more trade disputes globally.
Worldwide, new requests for protection from imports in the first half of this year are up 18.5 percent over the first half of last year, according to the World Bank-sponsored Global Anti-dumping Database.
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