Trade Board Rules Against Chinese Tire Makers

NEW YORK (AP) -- The U.S. International Trade Commission issued a ruling against China's tire manufacturers on Thursday, saying their increased exports are damaging U.S. tire makers.

The 4-2 ruling against the Chinese tire makers marks a victory for the United Steelworkers union, which filed a complaint with the trade commission in April. The union argued that China has more than tripled its tire exports to the U.S. to 46 million tires between 2004 and 2008, putting more than 5,100 workers out of a job.

"Our domestic industries cannot survive unless our government enforces the trade laws designed to curb and dissuade anticompetitive practices that cause market disruptions," USW International President Leo W. Gerard said in a statement.

The union said another 3,000 workers would lose their jobs by the end of the year and is urging President Barack Obama to cap Chinese tire imports at 21 million per year.

Shanghai-based GITI Tire issued a statement Thursday saying it was "disappointed" with the decision. The company said U.S. tire makers have been scaling back their offerings in the low-cost tire segment, where Chinese tire makers now compete.

"If there is a barrier placed on tires produced in China, we believe that U.S. manufacturers will simply increase importation of tires from other countries," the company said in a statement.

The investigation into the Chinese tire makers is one of several probes into Chinese business practices. Other U.S. investigations of Chinese goods have focused on dumping of wooden bedroom furniture, honey, candles, gift boxes, industrial chemicals and fresh garlic.

The International Trade Commission ruling has no immediate repercussions, but the group is scheduled to meet again later this month to determine a recommendation to the White House on the issue.

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Would you travel down 6/18/2009 4:47:00 PM the interstate at 70-75MPH on tires made in China?
Goodyear 6/18/2009 5:08:00 PM I always buy Goodyear and will continue to.
Would you travel down 6/18/2009 5:18:00 PM "Would you travel down the interstate at 70-75MPH on tires made in China?" Many of us probably do and don't even know it :(
Cheap Tires are Not Cheaper 6/18/2009 5:19:00 PM I find they wear out faster than quality-made tires and they usually don't handle worth a crap. They will howl and scream in moderate cornering. Personally, I've been very happy with the Michelins for good tread life, nice ride, excellent cornering. They're not cheap, but then again if they last twice as long (never mind the better performance) they are cheaper in the long run than the off-brands that come out of China. This is especially true when you consider the fees you pay for mounting and balancing on top of the tire price.
Chinese Tires 6/18/2009 5:33:00 PM I would like to know the brands. By knowing the brands wee have a choice. I did not feed my dog Chinese scraps either until the 52 lb bag cost 50% more, so I am assuming the previous dog food was coming from China.
Chinese parts 6/18/2009 5:51:00 PM Why would you not? Your comfortable going well above that with brake parts and critical electronic components in the current imports sourced form China
Would you travel down the interstate at 70-75MPH on tires made in China? 6/18/2009 6:08:00 PM China has a well deserved reputation for poor quality... That is changing as China is becoming the world's workshop. I'm not ready to say Chinese quality is par with other places, but they are getting there. The USA had an illegal restriction on the imported steel not too long ago, to try to keep American steel in business. It wasn't in place because of dumping, it was a lack of investment in technology on the US steel companies. The situation that arose in the automobile industry shows how much American quality has fallen over the years. Firestone made leathal tires in Missouri. The question is, "Would you rather die due to poor quality tires from China or the US?" We need to compete; these politics just make things worse in the end.
Interstate Travel 6/18/2009 10:14:00 PM Not very long.
70-75MPH on tires made in China 6/18/2009 10:24:00 PM I thought that almost all automibile tires were made in China now. I sometimes go faster than the 80MPH speed limit in West Texas on what I believe are Chinese made tires. It does not matter how we reverse the balance of trade as long as we stop the flow of gold, dollars, T-bills, Government Bonds, title to US located properties, and other US assets from the USA to other countries, in payment for the things that they make for us to consume, and for additional quantities of their US dollars to pay for our government operational expenses.
Would you travel down 6/19/2009 7:10:00 AM No I would not.
Trade Board Rules Against Chinese Tire Makers 6/19/2009 11:23:00 AM Where is the real globalization?, the US's supported agricultural export also killed many small small country's agriculture, but the steel workers did not protested
Make it here 6/23/2009 10:35:00 AM Make it here Use it here Recycle the scrap here and to Hell with China and all those other countries ... That is how we will bring prosperity back to this country. All else is folly, politics, and more money for the Waltons. And yes, US companies with government assistance have been guilty of the same sort of market tactics in argibusiness, oil, and exploitation of the third world generally. Only fair that we stop that as well. In the immortal words of Dan Akroyd, "Let's stay home for the next ten years and enjoy the music and culture that is ours."
OEM Tires 6/23/2009 12:27:00 PM Our 2008 Malibu has Hankook tires made in South Korea. So far they seem to be good tires and are wearing well. However if the taxpayers are going to pay for the GM bailout the least they could do is use US made tires on their cars.
We the people decide 7/9/2009 11:25:00 AM We, USA, have been the proponents of free trade because it leads to greater prosperity for all. We the people decide what we want to buy with our hard earned money. What we must insist on is that all goods be labeled fully so we can evaluate our buying decisions intelligently. There is no reason for the government to decide on what we can or should buy.

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