US eases furniture tariffs

US pressure on Chinese exports of bedroom furniture eased slightly following a decision by the US Department of Commerce to lower anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese furniture makers. The move lowers the penalty tariff for 115 Chinese companies, accounting for about two thirds of Chinese furniture exports to the US, to 8.64%, down from the preliminary tariff of 12.91%. Another seven companies will face penalty tariffs ranging from 2.22% to 16.7%. China supplies about half of US imports of bedroom furniture, trade worth US$1.2bn last year, the China Daily reported.