New Punitive Duties Imposed on Chinese Products
The United States is imposing new punitive duties on several Chinese products including solar panels, claiming they are unfairly subsidized by the government. 
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New Punitive Duties Imposed on Chinese Products
The United States is imposing new punitive duties on several Chinese products including solar panels, claiming they are unfairly subsidized by the government.
The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday made preliminary affirmative determination, suggesting Chinese manufacturers of solar panels have received government subsidies of 2.9 percent to 4.73 percent and therefore the tariffs on the products should be raised accordingly. The final decision on whether Chinese companies are dumping their solar panels will be announced on May 17.
Also on Tuesday, the Commerce Department confirmed the dumping practice of China-made galvanized steel wire and certain optical brightening agents.
Tuesday's announcement followed a verdict against steel wheels made in China on Monday.
The United States, together with the European Union and Japan, has also lodged complaints with the World Trade Organization concerning Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports.
Analysts said the recent flurry of trade cases against China, combined with other aggressive moves, underscored that trade protectionism in the United States is moving into higher gear and taking on new features. 
It is quite rare to see America take so many protective measures in such a short period of time.
These aggressive moves point to rising trade protectionism in the United States that takes on several new features, analysts said.
The first feature is the employment of both defensive and offensive tactics. On the one hand, America resorts to trade investigations and mechanisms to put goods produced on its own soil under better protection. On the other hand, it steps up efforts to clear the way for U.S. companies and products to expand presence into overseas markets.
The second one involves more diversified tools. To cripple China's exports, the United States starts to use patent protection as a cover for its act of protectionism, cracking down on Chinese products, such as printer ink cartridges and tablet PCs.
In addition, it moves to ally with other developed countries to pile up pressure on China.
Huang Yuchuan, senior researcher with Washington-based think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Xinhua that developed nations tend to put up more trade barriers instead of freeing up trade and such a trend is taking shape in recent years.
Analysts said the recent wave of protectionism has in part sparked by America's economic woes. 
Many see protective measures as a quick remedy to salvage the sluggish economy and impotent job markets.
Meanwhile, as presidential election campaigning is heating up, targeting China in the name of job creation is thought to be an easy and effective way to enlist voters' support.
Instead of rushing to a tit-for-tat trade war, Beijing has always called for settling trade frictions through dialogue and voiced hopes that Washington could live up to its commitments to keeping the rising protectionist sentiments in check.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry has called on the United States to work with China and other members of the international community to maintain a free, open and just international trade environment.
Unilateral moves, such as the proposed tariffs, will not bring down the stubbornly high U.S. unemployment, but instead will make the situation more complicated.
http://english.cri.cn/6826/2012/03/21/191s688307.htm 
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