U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today applauded the World Trade Organization ruling for the U.S. against China in a case over imports of U.S. broiler-chicken products. The U.S. brought the case in response to illegal Chinese “anti-dumping measures” that raised the price of U.S. broiler-chicken products and eventually drove 90 percent of U.S. products out of the Chinese market. The Interagency Trade Enforcement Center , which Sen. Stabenow has long championed, was integral in bringing the case against China.
“This is a great victory for American agriculture and shows the importance of enforcing trade rules,” said Stabenow. “Agriculture exports are critical to our economy, which is why we must continue holding countries like China accountable for their illegal trade practices. When other countries cheat on trade rules, we need to act swiftly to get justice before the World Trade Organization to protect American businesses and workers.”
Last year, President Obama created the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to crack down on other nations’ trade violations, one of the main provisions of Sen. Stabenow's American Competitiveness Plan. Senator Stabenow first proposed the creation of a trade enforcement unit in 2005 and has introduced legislation to create the unit ever since. Other provisions of Stabenow's plan include a bill to crackdown on China's currency manipulation (which passed the Senate with overwhelming support) and to strengthen penalties for foreign companies who steal American technology and intellectual property.