The U.S. Trade Representative's Office announced on the 22nd that with the approval of President Trump, the United States will take a four-year and a three-year global safeguards on imported photovoltaic products and large washing machines respectively. This is also the reason why the Trump team announced that it will provide U.S. trade partners The first major trade move to take in 2018 following tough measures.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the measures in the washing machine will impose a 20% tariff on the first 1.2 million sets of imported washing machines in the first year, with the tax rate declining to 18% and 16% in the second and third years. For imports exceeding this amount, Washing machines will be subject to a 50% tariff in the first year and tax rates will be reduced to 45% and 40% in the second and third years, while the United States will set a 2.5GW duty-free quota for photovoltaic cells and components, Of the imported products will be subject to a 30% tariff in the first year and the tax rate will be reduced to 25%, 20% and 15% in the next three years.
What exactly is the United States' over-protection measure?
With regard to the trade measures approved by Trump, it is estimated that Korean enterprises will suffer the most serious impact on the washing machines. China and Japan will also be significantly affected, while the PV industry will focus more on China.
The proposed trade protection measures are not aimed at the traditional labor-intensive or technology-intensive industries. Photovoltaic products and large washing machines used to be high-tech industries, but they can only be considered as general manufacturing industries.
Therefore, since the United States does not have comparative advantages in these fields, it will vigorously promote the re-industrialization and the return of manufacturing industries and even develop these industries through the introduction of more robots .This trade measure will lead to the future cooperation between the United States and other countries Trade disputes will be more concentrated in the labor-intensive and technology-intensive areas of cross-cutting in these areas, while it can bring a lot of employment, on the other hand can also be mechanized transformation to reduce costs, which in the future will make the industry coincide Improve the degree, and make trade frictions in related fields warming.
Therefore, the 'excessive protection measures set up this time are, to a certain extent, a serious one-sidedness and one-sided tendency. Their emphasis on emphasizing' U.S. priority 'rather than' priority for competitiveness' will have serious implications Trade balance. And this trend has emerged in recent years, such as last year's launch of the '232 survey of steel trade' not only for China, but all US imports of steel.
China's Ministry of Commerce responded: US abuse of trade remedies strongly dissatisfied
On the tough measures of the United States, Wang Hejun, director of the Bureau of Trade Relief Investigation of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said in a statement on January 23 that the U.S. trade remedy measures against imported photovoltaic products and large washing machines in a row in recent years have fully or even over-protected the U.S. Related industries. "The U.S. side strongly resented the fact that the United States once again launched a global safeguard investigation on imported photovoltaic products and large washing machines and taken harsh taxation measures to abuse trade remedies.
Wang Hejun said that the U.S. investigation not only aroused the concern of many trading partners but also met with strong opposition from many local governments and downstream enterprises, including the United States. The United States, in its lone manner, once again imposed restrictions on the import of photovoltaic products and large washing machines, not only Damage to the overall health of the industry in the United States also further aggravated the global trade environment for the related products.
It is learned that Kim Hyun-song, minister of trade and industry of Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, said on the 23rd that the government will appeal to the World Trade Organization about the U.S. government's emergency import restrictions on imported solar cells, modules and washing machines. According to reports, Kim Hyun- The government will also immediately request the U.S. side to consult on compensation issues. If the United States does not provide any compensation, it will consider suspending the tariff concessions on U.S. products.
The persistently tough trade protection policy of the United States has aroused unanimous opposition among all countries and the current foundation of international economic recovery is still very fragile and still requires the joint efforts and actions of all countries. Excessive and frequent trade protection is not only impossible Which will play a relief role for the related industries and impair the balanced development of the economy. The United States should abide by the rules of multilateral trade at all times and play a positive role in promoting the development of the world economy instead of blindly creating a trade incident and triggering a trade crisis.
