Sen. Carper Praises Administration Decision to File WTO Case Against China to Protect American Jobs

Unfair Trade Restrictions Against U.S. Chicken Producers Jeopardize 300,000 jobs, including roughly 13,000 in Delaware

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement praising the Obama Administration’s decision to file a case against China before the World Trade Organization (WTO) to protect up to 300,000 American agricultural jobs –including roughly 13,000 in Delaware – that are threatened by China’s unfair duties on imports of American chicken products. Earlier this year, Sen. Carper met with key Administration officials – including then-Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, former Secretary of Commerce and current Ambassador to China Gary Locke, and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk – to urge them to take action to remove the tariffs on American poultry imposed by China last fall:

“The Obama Administration did the right thing today to help protect poultry producers and agriculture jobs from unfair and short-sighted tariffs imposed by China on American poultry imports. This hefty tax is misguided, harming U.S. poultry producers, including the chicken producers in Delaware who in recent years have counted China as one of our biggest foreign customers. It’s also harmful for Chinese consumers who have been forced to pay a lot more to enjoy U.S. poultry products, which are a major staple of their diet. Ultimately, China needs to do the right thing and play by the rules established by the World Trade Organization. While I still hope that China will see the error of its ways and lift these illegal restrictions on our poultry products, we’re looking to the World Trade Organization to step in and enforce the rules on the books so that American poultry producers and workers get a fair shake.”

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