July 9, 2004

 

 

China Urges Fair Treatment From US On Shrimp

 

Chinese government officials Thursday expressed concern over a move by the U.S. to impose antidumping duties on shrimp imports from China, and said they hoped the matter would be dealt with "fairly".

 

"The Chinese government is seriously concerned about the matter," Ministry of Commerce spokesman Chong Quan said in a statement posted on the ministry's Web site.

 

"We hope the U.S. Department of Commerce would treat Chinese companies fairly in the investigation and the final ruling, and solve this problem appropriately," he said.

 

Chong was referring to the U.S. Commerce Department's ruling Tuesday that China was dumping shrimp in the U.S.

 

The U.S. has tentatively set tariffs ranging from 7.67% to 112.81% on shrimp imports from China.

 

Chong said a majority of Chinese companies have been imposed a high tariff rate, seriously affecting China's shrimp exports to the U.S.

 

State media reported Thursday that half of China's total $800 million in shrimp exports in 2003 went to the U.S.

 

Chong's comments follow those of another government official earlier in the day, who also said Beijing was concerned over the ruling.

 

Zhang Qiyue, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, told reporters at a regular press briefing that "China wants to express concern over the U.S. ruling."

 

The foreign affairs official's comments marked a departure from the ministry's customary reticence to discuss trade-related matters, and underscores China's increasingly combative stance on antidumping measures brought against its exports.

 

Concerns about the antidumping moves have prompted China to repeatedly urge trading partners, including those in the U.S. and the E.U., to recognize it as a market economy.

 

Calls for recognition of that status come a full 12 years ahead of a 2016 deadline agreed on when China joined the World Trade Organization in December 2001.

 

The market economy label is important to China in coping with antidumping action against the country. Non-market status allows trade partners to determine whether a country is dumping exports, using prices and costs in a third country that is a market economy.

 

"The emergence of trade frictions under the background of fast development of the Sino-U.S. trade relationship is normal (but) the key is the two sides should cool down in dealing with trade frictions in bilateral trade and other issues," Zhang said.

 

China Takes Measures Against Bird Flu

 

Meanwhile, Zhang said the international community shouldn't worry about the recent reemergence of bird flu in the central province of Anhui and offered assurances that China is in full control of the situation.

 

Chinese authorities have taken "stern measures" to contain the outbreak to ensure it doesn't spread to other regions, Zhang said, without elaborating.

 

State media have reported the measures include a ban on poultry production in outbreak-affected areas.

 

"Considering that authorities at all levels have taken strong and effective steps, and especially considering China has accumulated experience in this area, I think that other countries don't need to worry about the outbreak of bird flu," she said.

 

The potentially deadly avian flu strain reemerged late last month in Anhui and has resulted in the culling of more than 6,000 birds there.

 

China is anxious to avoid a repeat of the regional avian flu epidemic in the first quarter of 2004 that killed 23 people in Vietnam and Thailand and resulted in millions of dollars in losses from culled stocks in China and Southeast Asia.

 

Health and veterinary workers slaughtered 9 million birds to control that outbreak before China declared it had eradicated the bird flu virus on March 16.