Steel pipe tariff escalates US-China trade tensions

The US plans to impose US$2.8 billion in tariffs upon steel pipes imported from China in the largest countervailing duty complaint yet filed against Chinese products, following the unanimous decision by the US International Trade Commission last week, Bloomberg reported. Chinese authorities decried the measure as discriminatory and arbitrary, while American steel executives rebuffed claims that the move represented American protectionism. The move has the potential to accelerate a trade war between China and the United States that has grown to encompass conflicts over everything from tires to poultry, despite assurances from presidents Hu Jintao and Barack Obama in November 2009 that both sides would attempt to ease trade frictions.