BEIJING, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A move by the United States to slap an import tariff on Chinese tires is trade protectionism that violates World Trade Organization rules, China said Saturday.
Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesman Yao Jian, reacting to a decision Friday by U.S. President Barack Obama to impose a 35 percent tariff on imported car and truck tires, told the state-run Xinhua news agency China is strongly dissatified with the decision, saying it violates not only WTO rules but also commitments made by the United States at the Group of 20 financial summits.
Yao reportedly said China reserves the right to take retalitory measures to protect the interests of its companies.
Obama issued a proclamation invoking the tariff allowed in the Chinese WTO agreement to protect against surges in Chinese imports that cause disruptions in the U.S. market.
But Xinhua quoted the commerce ministry's Web site saying Washington is not justified in invoking the clause because tire exports to the United States had actually declined 16 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year.
