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US to hold hearing on planned tariffs on Chinese tires
Washington (AFP) Aug 5, 2009 US trade authorities said Wednesday that a hearing will be held on a proposal to impose stiff duties on tire imports from China in what is seen as a test case for President Barack Obama's trade policy. The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement that it would hold the public hearing on Friday following a June recommendation by the US International Trade Commission for tariffs of up to 55 percent on Chinese passenger and light truck tires. The commission had acted in favor of a petition led by the United Steelworkers Union, which said a huge increase in Chinese tire imports had forced plant shutdowns and the loss of jobs in six states over the past five years. The commission, an independent, quasijudicial federal agency with broad investigative responsibilities on trade matters, voted 4-2 in June 18 that an upsurge in Chinese tire imports was causing market disruption in the US tire industry. Eleven days later, the commission voted to recommend three years of duties on Chinese tires under the Trade Act -- tariffs of 55 percent on the value of the tires in the first year, 45 percent in the second year and 35 percent in the third year. Under section 421 of the Trade Act, if the commission determines that imports from China cause market disruption to domestic producers, it has to send a report to the president and the US trade representative. The president makes the final remedy decision. The commission said it submitted its investigation report to President Barack Obama and the US Trade Representative Ron Kirk last month. The USTR hearing would be the final event in the investigation before Obama rules on the ITC recommendation. The USTR will submit its remedy recommendation to Obama by September 2. He is required to make a decision within 15 days after receiving it. Since taking office in January, Obama has not made any major trade policy decision. "His honeymoon is about to end, thanks to a request by his union friends to 'safeguard' American jobs from Chinese tire imports," The Wall Street Journal said in a report Tuesday. "His looming decision will tell the world if he believes his own rhetoric about the dangers of protectionism in a weak global economy," it said. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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