Little Evidence Supports Trump’s Claims Against China on Tariffs and Trade
- 6 years ago
Little Evidence Supports Trump’s Claims Against China on Tariffs and Trade
But, the statement said, “more often they are lightly processed into a new product (harder to quantify and catch) before being shipped Stateside.”
A Commerce Department report concluded in January that “an unknown portion” of Chinese steel exports to its
Asian neighbors “are further processed in those countries and eventually shipped to the United States.”
Gary Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute for International Economics agreed
that the amount of Chinese steel that is lightly processed in other countries and ultimately shipped to the United States is “a pretty difficult thing to measure.” But, he said, that that’s not the same thing as transshipment — because the steel has been modified from the original product.
The United States has imposed 24 trade remedies against steel from China, more
than any other country, covering an estimated 90 percent of Chinese imports.
Its data suggests that Chinese steel accounts for just 2 percent of total imports
to the United States by quantity last year, and about 3.5 percent by value.
But there is little evidence to support his dismissal of estimates
that say Chinese steel accounts for only a small percentage of imports into the United States.
In one complaint, filed in 2016, United States Steel Corporation listed several examples of Chinese distributors
offering to ship steel products to Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan before docking in the United States.
There is little evidence to support Mr. Trump’s claim that the volume of Chinese steel imports is “much higher” after transshipping.
But, the statement said, “more often they are lightly processed into a new product (harder to quantify and catch) before being shipped Stateside.”
A Commerce Department report concluded in January that “an unknown portion” of Chinese steel exports to its
Asian neighbors “are further processed in those countries and eventually shipped to the United States.”
Gary Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute for International Economics agreed
that the amount of Chinese steel that is lightly processed in other countries and ultimately shipped to the United States is “a pretty difficult thing to measure.” But, he said, that that’s not the same thing as transshipment — because the steel has been modified from the original product.
The United States has imposed 24 trade remedies against steel from China, more
than any other country, covering an estimated 90 percent of Chinese imports.
Its data suggests that Chinese steel accounts for just 2 percent of total imports
to the United States by quantity last year, and about 3.5 percent by value.
But there is little evidence to support his dismissal of estimates
that say Chinese steel accounts for only a small percentage of imports into the United States.
In one complaint, filed in 2016, United States Steel Corporation listed several examples of Chinese distributors
offering to ship steel products to Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan before docking in the United States.
There is little evidence to support Mr. Trump’s claim that the volume of Chinese steel imports is “much higher” after transshipping.