According to CCTV, on the afternoon of April 3, US local time, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office published on its website a list of products imported from China based on the so-called 301 investigation and proposed to impose tariffs. The list contains about 1300 independent tariff items. With a value of approximately US$50 billion, it covers aerospace, information and communications technology, robotics, and machinery industries. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office proposes to impose an additional 25% tariff on Chinese products on the list.
A screenshot of the website of the U.S. Trade Representative Office (Photo courtesy of CCTV)
According to the official WeChat report of the People's Daily, most of the items on the list published by the U.S. Trade Representative Office do not directly target daily consumers. According to the timetable of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, this list will also undergo several hearing sessions later. In an interview with the media, U.S. Trade Representative Light Seat said that he will give a window period of 60 days before China's commodity tariffs come into effect, and that tariffs will not be imposed until June of this year.
It is understood that this list includes a number of items related to household appliances, including the ones listed in Tax No. 84143040 for refrigeration equipment (including air conditioners) and compressors not exceeding 1/4 horsepower, which are listed in tariff number 84143080 for refrigeration Equipment (including air conditioning), compressors exceeding 1/4 horsepower, and household dishwasher listed in tariff number 84221100.
According to the calculation data of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association’s Information Consultation Department, the value of China’s home appliance exports to the United States in 2017 was approximately US$ 14.4 billion, of which dishwasher exports amounted to US$ 116 million, accounting for 0.8% of US home appliance exports; Compressor exports 1.44 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 1% of U.S. home appliance exports.
Hu Xiaohong, senior advisor of the Information Consultation Department of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, said that this list did not really affect the whole machine. She said that this result was 'accepted' and had little impact on China’s home appliance exports.
After the US announced the list, China’s relevant departments responded for the first time. According to an official WeChat report of the People’s Daily, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China issued a speech at the first time, stating that China strongly opposes and will Take equal efforts, peer-to-peer measures of equal size.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lu Hao said: 'The US approach has seriously violated the basic principles and spirit of the WTO. China will immediately resort to the US side's mistaken approach to the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. At the same time, we will follow the Foreign Trade of the People's Republic of China. The relevant provisions of the Act are prepared to take the same level of reciprocal measures for American products. These measures will be announced in the near future. We are confident and capable of responding to any protectionist measures of the United States.'
The Chinese Embassy in the United States also issued a statement: China will immediately appeal to the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism. At the same time, according to China's relevant laws, equal efforts will be made to US products and equivalent measures of equal scale.