Companies take legal action against Chinese product taxes
The number of companies speaking out against additional tariffs imposed on goods imported from China has grown sharply in recent days as the November 3 presidential election looms large in the United States.
Share September 27, 2020 9:45 p.m. Updated at 11:34 p.m. Share Companies take legal action against taxes on Chinese products Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON – American companies and multinationals from multiple sectors, automotive, textiles and distribution, have sued the administration on the additional tariffs imposed on products imported from China, which significantly increase their manufacturing costs.
Among the groups that have filed a complaint with the International Commercial Court in New York, the Home Depot brand, guitar maker Gibson, clothing brand Ralph Lauren, computer maker Lenovo, the fruit company and Dole vegetables, or even the Callaway golf equipment supplier.
These requests, filed since mid-September, were consulted Sunday by AFP, which had already reported, Wednesday, complaints from major global automotive groups, such as Tesla, Ford, Mercedes and Volvo.
The number of companies speaking out against additional tariffs imposed on goods imported from China has grown sharply in recent days as the November 3 presidential election looms large in the United States. All claim that these tariffs, imposed on a list of products as part of the commercial standoff between Washington and Beijing, are “illegal”.
They therefore ask for their “cancellation” and wish to recover any sum already collected by the American customs services since the entry into force of new taxes.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) on September 15 ruled illegal a first tranche of tariffs imposed by the United States on some $ 250 billion of Chinese goods.
The punitive customs taxes imposed by Washington on goods coming from China are in fact paid by importers in the United States, which, according to the objective of the United States administration, is to reduce these Chinese imports and ultimately, the abyss. US trade deficit with China.
These punitive tariffs marked the start of a trade war between the two economic giants and were one of the hallmarks of the Trump presidency, which accused China of dishonest business practices, theft of intellectual property, and of wanting to use technology to extend its hold over certain regions of the world or to strengthen repression in China, particularly against Uyghur Muslims.
Washington and Beijing then struck a largely stalled trade deal. Additional tariffs of 25% thus remain applied on the equivalent of 250 billion dollars of Chinese goods.
