US industry groups react to latest China tariffs
19/09/2018
On September 17, the US announced its decision to move forward with tariffs on approximately $200 billion per year worth of imports from China. In response, China announced it will retaliate by targeting imports from the US worth $60 billion per year.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) said it was “deeply concerned” by US President Donald Trump’s decision to move forward with these tariffs, which will affect a wide range of products, including backpacks, hats, leather apparel, textiles and related machinery.
The president and CEO of AAFA, Rick Helfenbein, said: "We are extremely disappointed that President Trump has, once again, decided to impose a huge new tax on American consumers and manufacturers. During the public review process, AAFA and many of its members detailed the extreme damage this new tax will do to our industry, our nearly four million US workers, and to every American family. It seems most of those pleas were ignored. Instead, today’s announcement shows a deep disregard for American businesses, American workers, and American families, who will be negatively impacted by this decision.”
For its part, another trade group, the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) said it expects the latest tariffs to “negatively impact all Americans of every walk of life”.
FDRA president and CEO Matt Priest, was especially critical of President Trump, stating: “The President claimed that trade wars are easy to win but what our industry has always known is coming true – trade wars are costly, unnecessary, and do harm to the American economy. The footwear industry calls on the Trump Administration to show real leadership and declare a cease fire to this self-inflicted conflict.”
Rich Harper, manager of international trade for the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) also released a statement following the development. He pointed out that sports bags, bikes and headwear are also among the products that look set to face additional tariffs. The majority of outdoor products do not feature on the list.
“We continue to engage the administration and members of Congress in an effort to protect outdoor companies and consumers from these higher costs,” his statement concluded.
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