Trade Barriers: US to probe imports from China

American manufacturer Whirlpool accused South Korean rivals of selling washers in the US at below fair market value.

WASHINGTON: A US trade panel on Friday approved investigations that could lead to steep import duties on more than $1 billion of washing machines from South Korea and Mexico and more than $150 million of wind energy towers from China and Vietnam. It fears that imports from the four countries were harming domestic producers and has allowed a commission to continue investigations already underway. American manufacturer Whirlpool has accused South Korean rivals Samsung Electronics and LG electronics of selling washers in the US at prices 31 per cent to 82 per cent below fair market value. South Korea’s government has protested against the probe, and LG said it would aggressively fight the case. Meanwhile, the American Wind Tower Trade Coalition has alleged that China and Vietnam undercut US wind power prices by 200 per cent and 140 per cent respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2012.