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WASHINGTON, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Amid increasing anti-trade rhetoric in the current U.S. presidential campaign, the United States has challenged China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over its export duties on nine key raw materials.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) claimed Wednesday in a statement that these duties ranging from 5 to 20 percent ad valorem create "an uneven playing field" for U.S. manufacturers.
The statement said the nine raw materials are antimony, cobalt, copper, graphite, lead, magnesia, talc, tantalum and tin. They are used in industrial sectors such as aerospace, automotive, electronics and chemicals.
The trade enforcement case, the 13th that the Obama administration has launched against China at the WTO, comes at a time of increasing anti-trade rhetoric in the current U.S. presidential campaign.
The Obama administration wants to demonstrate a tough stance on enforcing trade agreements in an attempt to draw support from lawmakers to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, a top legislative priority for President Barack Obama this year.
But U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that the chances are "pretty slim" that the TPP will get a vote in Congress this year, as both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are against it.
Related:
China to resort to WTO over unreasonable U.S.decision on steel subsidy
BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua)-- China will use the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement process to defend its interests over an unreasonable decision by America on steel subsidies, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday.
The United States had deliberately misinterpreted WTO rules after the U.S. Commerce Department ruled in favor of anti-dumping measures for imports of stainless steel sheets from China, setting an anti-subsidy tax rate of 57.3 percent to 193.92 percent on Monday, according to a MOC statement. Full story
U.S. challenges China at WTO over poultry dispute
WASHINGTON, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Washington is challenging China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over broiler chicken products, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced Tuesday.
The United States claimed that China failed to conduct a transparent re-investigation, nor properly calculated costs of production for a U.S. producer. Full story
