Trade show

4 January 2010 By James Pethokoukis

Political and policy concerns make a White House protrade push unlikely. Instead, expect more duties on foreign goods like the newly imposed ones on imported steel pipe stalled trade negotiations and increased friction with China. It all amounts to a restrained recovery.

This content is for Subscribers only

Context News

The U.S. International Trade Commission voted 60 on Dec. 30 to allow the U.S. Commerce Department to counter Chinese government subsidies with duties of 1016 percent on Chinesemade steel pipe used in oil and natural gas production. The United States imported $2.74 billion of oil country tubular goods from China in 2008, more than triple the previous year.

U.S. companies and unions brought about a dozen trade cases against China in 2009, alleging government subsidies and unfair pricing practices. President Barack Obama in September imposed a 35 percent duty on imports of about $1.85 billion of Chinesemade tires in response to what the ITC said was a marketdisrupting surge.

China, in response, accused the United States of protectionism, filed a complaint against the tires decision at the World Trade Organization and began a probe into whether U.S. autos are dumped in China at unfairly low prices.

The Commerce Department has also announced preliminary antidumping duties of up to 99 percent on the pipe and is expected to announce its final decision on the size of those additional duties in early April. That would set the stage for the ITC vote in May on whether to allow those additional duties.

Email a friend

Please complete the form below.

Required fields *