WASHINGTON - One of the largest plastics companies in the United States, Parker Co., Ltd. also participated in a hearing in Washington, urging the US government to impose tariffs on a variety of injection molded and thermoformed packaging products imported from China, including cutlery and cutlery.
Parker CEO John McGrath said that a large number of imported tableware from China forced the company to shut down some factories and spent millions of dollars to prevent Chinese imports from infringing on Pikeqi's intellectual property rights. He was on August 20th hearing. Said: 'In the past seven years, we have closed 10 production plants in the United States. Because of the large number of Chinese goods entering, they export to the United States at a price lower than the market price. They will steal our market share and damage our profits. . '
The hearing will be attended by more than 350 people for a period of six days. McGrath is one of the heavyweights in plastics executives who are required to impose tariffs. He urged the US government to take strict measures to impose at least 25% tariff on imported goods. Not 10% of the previously proposed. The import goods he refers to is a small part of the $200 billion to be imposed by the Trump administration.
He said: 'Unfairly low prices of Chinese imports can only be offset by tariffs of more than 25%. To obtain the US government's findings, the authorities must take a tough stance against Chinese and Chinese companies.
Specifically, Pikeqi asked for tariffs on seven categories of goods, four of which are already on the US government's list, and the other three are cutlery, cutlery and cups.
The Trump administration plans to impose tariffs on China's $200 billion worth of 6,000 categories of goods. This action may take effect from the end of September or early October, after the US has targeted resin, injection molding machines and molds imported from China. Add tariffs.
Executives linked to China's plastic packaging industry told Plastics News that the increase in tariffs will lead to higher costs for US consumers. Gilbert Lee, chief financial officer of Fuling Plastics Co., Ltd. in Wenling, Zhejiang, China, also attended the hearing. Fuling Plastics supplies disposable plastic tableware for Wendy Fast Food, Burger King, Subway and other chains. Lee said this is a low-margin industry, and US companies have been withdrawing from the industry.
Lee said in the email: 'The production of plastic knives and forks is a low-tech, high-cost industry. This is the main reason why US companies are outsourcing their offshore products. This is the same reason as other manufacturing outsourcing. It's meager, but it's very big. There is no company in the US that really wants to do this. 'He is based in Arlington, Pennsylvania. The company is listed on NASDAQ. There are 4 factories in China, 90% of which are sold. From American consumers.
He believes that tariffs will destroy the supply chain. He said: 'I don't think there is sufficient capacity in the US, at least for now, can't meet the demand in domestic production, let alone the high cost of production in the US, will completely change the production mode.'
The reason for companies opposed to tariffs is usually that the price rise of the overall economic cycle will offset the jobs they bring. Lee and He Zhisheng from China Thermoforming Association believe that the addition of tariffs will directly affect American consumers.
He Zhisheng said that most Chinese thermoforming enterprises supply China's domestic market, so the increase of tariffs has a greater impact on American consumers. Consumers must pay more. 'Adding tariffs will also lead to rising food costs in chain stores. The ultimate harm is The interests of ordinary Americans. '
But Pikeqi believes that the addition of tariffs is to protect jobs in the United States. The company's packaging division has 40 factories in the United States, 8500 employees, using paper and plastic as packaging materials. According to the statistics of Plastics News, Parker Qi is the largest thermoforming company in North America, with 22 plants and annual sales of $2.85 billion.
McGrath believes that imports hurt the disposable packaging industry in the United States, and said at the hearing that goods from China accounted for 55-85% of the demand for tariffed goods.
At a hearing hosted by the US trade representative, he said that Pikeqi has been working hard to protect intellectual property rights and prevent Chinese competitors from stealing their intellectual property rights. 'As a company, we have a handful of experience that proves that Chinese manufacturers have stolen our knowledge. Property rights, so we are particularly pleased that the government is taking action. In the past decade, it was just a product, and we took measures to protect intellectual property nine times, spending millions of dollars.
McGrath said in an email that Parker's repeated defense of intellectual property is its Newspring injection box, which prevents Chinese suppliers from entering the US. He said: 'Pikeki successfully protected intellectual property, but the process is lengthy and costly, though, There are still some products that have leaked into the US market. Unfair competition from Chinese suppliers has hurt Parker’s business and has sacrificed many American jobs.
Pikeqi did not respond to requests for more details on the IP case, but Newspring has been in the trade case for many years. In 2004, Pikeqi complained to the US International Trade Commission that two Chinese companies infringed their boxes. Patent.
Newspring's complaint was earlier than that of Pikeqi's acquisition in 2005. The US International Commission supported Newspring's majority complaint, prohibiting similar packaging boxes from being imported into the United States.
McGrath said that the terms of trade with China are not conducive to companies like Parker. He said: 'Chinese companies, with the strategic support of the Chinese government, have benefited from free trade, leaving American companies and American workers at a disadvantage. When it comes to trade terms, it should be ensured that US and Chinese companies can compete fairly and freely. At that time, Pikeqi will support the lifting of tariffs on Chinese imports.