Contacts: Gary Hubbard, USW (202.778.4384)
Nancy Gravatt, AISI (202.452.7116)
Adam Parr, SMA (202-296-1515)
Skip Hartquist, SSINA (202-342-8450)
Roger Schagrin or Tamara Browne, CPTI (202-223-1700)

The following joint statement was released today by the United Steelworkers, American Iron and Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturer’s Association, Specialty Steel Industry of North America and The Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports.

1. The Chinese government should stop manipulating currency, export tax and rebate policies. The U.S. government should insist that China have WTO-consistent policies on raw materials, semi-finished and finished steel products to ensure that no U.S. manufacturers are disadvantaged.

2. During a worldwide economic recession, China should not try to maintain economic growth by directing subsidized exports to the U.S.

3. China should stop subsidizing excess, redundant, inefficient and highly polluting steel capacity.

4. It is more important than ever that the U.S. government vigorously enforce our nation’s laws against unfair trade and that the United States stand up against China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to combat China’s WTO-illegal practices and its efforts to evade U.S. enforcement of countervailing duty (CVD) law.

5. The U.S. government should, at this time of economic crisis, execute leadership in the global trade arena to ensure that China and all countries follow rules-based trade. At stake are millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs and the future of hundreds of U.S. communities. Our nation’s ability to rebound from this economic downturn will rely heavily on the ability of U.S. manufacturers to recover. Standing up to Chinese unfair trade practices will help Americans maintain their quality of life during these unprecedented and challenging times.