Manufacturers: Time to Level Playing Field on China
Washington, D.C. – 51³Ô¹ÏÍø President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping:
A trade deal, not a trade war, is exactly what manufacturers have advocated over the last year and a half, and today’s meeting brings us closer to that goal. We will continue to seek a new structure for the U.S.–China commercial relationship that eliminates unfair practices and opens China’s market through strong enforceable new trade rules. Manufacturers are encouraged that the two countries will refrain from escalating tariffs further to allow for new rounds of negotiation.
Manufacturers need certainty now. For too long, manufacturers have paid the price while China has reaped the rewards of its unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft and exploitation of existing trade agreements. The effects of tariffs and retaliatory tariffs are further weighing on our confidence and our ability to hire and grow. With a more level playing field, we will be better equipped to reach our full potential.
A bilateral, enforceable trade agreement would be history-making and game-changing for America’s manufacturing workers. As the first business association to call for such an agreement, the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø will continue to work with the administration to ensure manufacturers’ priorities are top of mind as U.S.–China talks continue.
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø first called for the administration to pursue a bilateral trade agreement with China in a in January 2018. The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø has released a for an agreement that will address China’s unfair trade practices and level the playing field for manufacturers in the United States.
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The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.38 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.
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