简体中文
America
U.S. to hold off on auto tariffs as trade officials consider revisions to draft report
Last Updated: 2018-11-15 10:03 | Xinhua
 Save  Print   E-mail

The Trump administration will hold off for now imposing new tariffs on imported automobiles as trade officials consider revisions to a draft report on an investigation into auto imports, U.S. media reported on Tuesday.

The latest development came after U.S. President Donald Trump convened his trade team Tuesday at the White House to discuss the draft report on the Commerce Department's investigation into possible national security threats brought about by imports of autos and auto parts.

The draft report would be subject to further changes and the Trump administration wasn't ready to act on tariffs, according to Bloomberg, citing two people familiar with the matter.

European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said Tuesday that she expected the EU to be exempted from any new U.S. auto tariffs, as the United States and the EU agreed in July to avoid additional tariffs while both sides work to reduce tariffs and lower non-tariff barriers for industrial goods traded in between.

"We are under the assumption that is still valid, and I am here to continue and to develop the talks," Malmstrom said at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, DC.

"So we assume that if (auto tariffs were imposed) that it would not be for the European Union," said Malmstrom, who will meet U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday to discuss bilateral trade issues.

The U.S. Commerce Department in May initiated so-called Section 232 investigation into automobile imports, claiming that imports from abroad had eroded the U.S. auto industry.

The Trump administration has used the Section 232 to unilaterally impose high tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on the grounds of national security, provoking strong opposition from the domestic business community and retaliatory measures from U.S. trading partners.

Auto manufacturers, industry groups and governments from Europe and Asia have warned that new tariffs on car imports would harm American consumers, undermine the U.S. auto industry and cause thousands of job losses.

According to a study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a Washington-based think tank, if the Trump administration implements the proposed auto tariffs, U.S. consumers will have to pay an additional 1,400 to 7,000 U.S. dollars on new best-selling car models.

0
Share to 
Related Articles:
Most Popular
BACK TO TOP
Edition:
Chinese | BIG5 | Deutsch
Link:    
About CE.cn | About the Economic Daily | Contact us
Copyright 2003-2024 China Economic Net. All right reserved