China Trade Legislation Advances

The House based a bill that sets the ability of the Commerce Department to set duties on goods from China and other nations that subsidize exports. The Senate passed similar legislation. The president shortly based on his comments will sign

China say that the law is a barrier to free trade. But, the issues addressed by the legislation have existed for a number of years. There have been accusations, many of them confirmed, that China sends cheap goods to the US to gain market share. That, some economists argue, destroys US manufacturing jobs. With the national elections only eight months away, there are very few candidates who will stand up for China at a time when many Americans believe that the People’s Republic’s actions have cost the US tens of thousands of jobs.