Sino-US trade disputes pile up

Trade rows between the United States and China will be a key issue on the agenda when US President Barack Obama holds talks with Chinese leaders in Shanghai and Beijing this week.

Here are some of the disputes dogging China-US trade:

Steel pipes

The US Commerce Department this month slapped preliminary anti-dumping duties ranging up to 99% on USD 2.63 billion in Chinese-made oil well pipe in the biggest US trade action against China. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce denounced the move as protectionist and launched its own investigation into imports of US-made automobiles.

China has also filed a World Trade Organisation challenge to US anti-dumping duties on certain types of steel pipes, pneumatic off-road tyres and woven sacks. China is increasingly turning to the WTO to keep markets open to its products.

Copper pipes loom

Last week, the US International Trade Commission voted to back a Commerce Department probe into whether China and Mexico have been selling seamless refined copper pipe and tube in the United States at unfairly low prices.

US producers have asked for "anti-dumping" duties of 60.50% on the seamless refined copper pipe imports from China estimated to be worth about USD 446.3 million in 2008.

Tyres

The Obama administration imposed safeguard duties on Chinese-made tyres in September, after a complaint by unions that low-priced Chinese imports were forcing US factories to close. China requested consultations on the duties, a preliminary step towards a WTO complaint. The duty of 35% took effect on September 26 and added to an existing 4% duty. The extra duty would fall to 30% in the second year and 25% in the third year.

Poultry

China launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports of US chicken parts and automotive parts, in response to the US tyre duties. US breeders like Tyson Foods Inc sell chicken feet and wings, not consumed in the United States, to China where they are delicacies, helping pad their profit margin on each chicken.

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