China yesterday (Wednesday) slapped the U.S. chicken industry with the second set of tariffs in less than three months, further escalating tensions with its all-important Western trade partner.
China's commerce ministry said the new tariffs, which will impose charges of as much as 31.4% on imports of U.S. chicken, were a response to what it said were subsidies that created an unfair advantage for U.S. chicken producers.
China in February imposed a 105.4% duty on imports of U.S. poultry after a government investigation found that such products were being sold by the United States at less than the fair value. The new tariffs could altogether close off the market to U.S. poultry producers.
China and the United States have a long history of trade disputes, but these conflicts in recent years have escalated in both frequency and intensity as the two nations vie for global influence.
Hu Jintao
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China-U.S. Trade Relations Plagued by Protectionism
Obama Gains Ground on China Trade Policies as Hu Refuses to Rule Out Floating Yuan
President Barack Obama pushed against potentially unfair trade policies on two fronts in Monday's meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and appeared to win a small victory when Hu didn't completely rule out letting the yuan appreciate.
After Obama urged China to move toward a "more market-oriented exchange rate," Hu told him that his country wouldn't yield to "external pressure" in deciding when to adjust the yuan, Bloomberg News reported.
Obama also expressed "his concern" about some "market- access barriers in China," Jeff Bader, senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, told reporters after the meeting, which was held in conjunction with a gathering of world leaders in Washington to discuss nuclear security.
After Obama urged China to move toward a "more market-oriented exchange rate," Hu told him that his country wouldn't yield to "external pressure" in deciding when to adjust the yuan, Bloomberg News reported.
Obama also expressed "his concern" about some "market- access barriers in China," Jeff Bader, senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, told reporters after the meeting, which was held in conjunction with a gathering of world leaders in Washington to discuss nuclear security.