Miss. Senator Supported U.S. Trade Rep’s Case Against Unfair Chinese Duties
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today applauded a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling against unfair duties levied by China on U.S. poultry exports.
The WTO on Friday ruled in favor of the United States in a case filed by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) that asserted China was imposing unfair and punitive countervailing duties on U.S. broiler chickens and poultry parts. Cochran praised the USTR action when the case was filed in September 2011 (http://1.usa.gov/1eh4erg).
“I expect this World Trade Organization ruling to result in fairer treatment of U.S. poultry products that are offered to the world,” said Cochran, ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
“The ruling is good news for an American industry that has been buffeted by a slow-growth economy, high feed prices and other factors. I hope this ruling will help build the poultry industry in the United States and in Mississippi in particular,” he said.
In general, the WTO agreed with the USTR case that asserted China did not follow specific WTO procedures and legal standards in determining that United States exporters were unfairly dumping and subsidizing poultry products. The U.S. case challenged the due process and transparency standards used by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, as well as its investigative findings on dumping margins, subsidy rates and injury to the poultry industry in China.
Mississippi is a leading state for poultry production, with the industry employing more than 50,000 workers and contributing $2.5 billion to the economy in 2012.
LINK:
• U.S. Trade Representative statement on WTO decision: http://1.usa.gov/1b1BUcT
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