WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Mark S. Critz (PA-12) called on President Barack Obama to use this week’s state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to discuss illegal dumping of Chinese steel products and China’s persistent violation of international trade laws.
 
Critz and his colleagues urged the President, in a bi-partisan letter delivered yesterday, to engage in a discussion with the Chinese President to ensure that China abides by international trade laws and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. 
 
“In joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China made a set of binding commitments to ensure they did not illegally advantage their economies at the expense of others,” Critz said.  “Ten years later, they still continue policies that unfairly discriminate and sharply disadvantage American businesses.”
 
Practices such as China’s currency manipulation continue to do harm to the U.S. economy.  In the 111th Congress, Critz co-sponsored a bill which would determine whether the exchange rate of the currency of an exporting country is fundamentally and actionably undervalued or overvalued against the U.S. dollar and take certain actions to offset such misalignment.
 
“Chinese currency has been manipulated by as much as 40 percent, allowing them to maintain their status as the world’s biggest exporter,” Critz stated.  “This policy has cost the U.S. a staggering trade deficit of as much as $283 billion.”
 
Additionally, Critz and his colleagues on the bi-partisan Congressional Steel Caucus sent a letter yesterday urging the President to discuss illegal dumping of steel products that have put the jobs and families of American steelworkers at risk.  The continued violations of trade laws by the Chinese government have caused the U.S. steel producers, workers, and other industries to petition the International Trade Commission for relief. 
 
“Chinese trade practices, including the dumping of steel on the global market, have to be properly investigated and corrected,” Critz said.  “We can no longer allow these violations of international trade law to continue.”
 
“The American steel industry supports 1.2 million jobs and adds $350 billion to our national economy,” Critz added.  “We must assure that these companies are able to stay competitive in a global market, without the added burden of illusive trade practices by other countries.”