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US slaps extra duties on shrimp from China
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-07 08:25
The United States slapped punitive tariffs on shrimp imports from China and
Vietnam, saying a preliminary investigation showed the two countries were
"dumping" at artificially low prices.
The duties will range from 7.67 percent to 112.81 percent on shrimp from
China and between 12.11 percent and 92.13 percent on imports from Vietnam. The
ruling affects about one billion dollars worth of imports from the two
countries.
The duties may be adjusted, but will be collected until a final ruling by the
quasi-judicial International Trade Commission next January.
The Commerce Department said its preliminary probe found that with the
exception of one Chinese producer, all of the other producers of frozen and
canned warm-water shrimp were being sold "at less than fair value."
In the case of Chinese imports, the Commerce Department found there were
"critical circumstances" for the US industry affected, meaning duties can be
imposed 90 days retroactively.
The industries petitioning in the case had been seeking duties of between 30
percent and more than 200 percent for shrimp and prawns from Brazil, China,
Ecuador, India, Thailand and Vietnam.
A decision against the four other countries was expected July 28, according
to the US producers seeking the tariffs.
The case is among the latest in a series of trade spats with China. It also
has sparked an outcry from Vietnam, which faces similar penalties for catfish
exports and has called the US effort protectionist.
Although the tariffs were not as high as requested by the industry, Southern
Shrimp Alliance President Eddie Gordon praised the decisions as "a critical step
on the road to recovery for tens of thousands of fishermen, farmers and
processors devastated by the massive volume of dumped Chinese and Vietnamese
shrimp."
Gordon said the US industry "is fighting for survival and on the brink of
extinction from the tidal wave of dumped foreign shrimp," which are mostly
farmed compared with the mainly wild-caught shrimp in the US.
But the Shrimp Task Force, abroad trade coalition opposing tariffs, called
the duties a "needless tax on American consumers."
"The Commerce Department's preliminary calculation of dumping rates is
unjustified and very troubling," said Wally Stevens, chairman of the task force.
"The Bush administration has made a misguided trade policy decision that
could have serious adverse consequences ... The duties announced today will do
nothing to help US shrimpers' long-term problems, while needlessly penalizing
both American consumers and workers in shrimp consuming industries all across
the country."
The group predicts a jump of as much as 44 percent in shrimp prices if
antidumping duties are imposed.
"This case is far from over," continued Stevens. "The Shrimp Task Force will
continue to fight to lower or altogether eliminate this unjustified food tax,
just as we will fight against the threat of duties on shrimp from the four other
targeted countries."
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