Schauer calls on Administration to take action on Chinese currency manipulation
New report shows Michigan has lost more than 67,000 jobs to unfair trade with China since 2001
Washington,
Mar 24 -
According to a report issued this week by the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the State of Michigan has lost 67,800 jobs, including 4,700 in the 7th district alone, due to unfair trade with China since 2001. The report cites China’s currency manipulation as a major cause of the growing U.S. trade deficit with that nation. Earlier this month, Congressman Schauer and a bipartisan group of his House colleagues sent letters to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke calling for immediate action in response to China’s currency manipulation.
“By unfairly manipulating their currency the Chinese government has tilted the scales in their favor, and it’s hurting Michigan businesses and costing us thousands of jobs,” said Schauer. “To help our workers and manufacturers compete on a level playing field, the administration needs to get tough with the Chinese and hold them accountable for unfairly manipulating their currency.”
According to the EPI report, 2.4 million American jobs have been lost or displaced as a result of the burgeoning trade deficit with China since it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. China has tightly pegged its currency to the dollar at a rate that encourages a large bilateral surplus with the United States. Other causes of the deficit include massive industrial subsidies in China, lax labor and environmental law enforcement, intellectual property theft and piracy and Chinese policies that block market access to U.S. firms.
“These findings document what we have been asserting for some time,” said Alliance for American Manufacturing Executive Director Scott Paul. “China is undercutting the competitiveness of our manufacturers and undermining the earning power of American workers by routinely failing to honor its global and bilateral commitments.”
Since China entered the WTO in 2001, the U.S. trade deficit with China has risen by $186 billion, from $84 billion in 2001 to $270 billion in 2008, an average increase of $26.6 billion per year. Last year alone, China was responsible for more than 80 percent of the United States’ total, non-oil trade deficit in goods.
BACKGROUND:
- The EPI Report is available here.
- An interactive map from the Alliance for American Manufacturing detailing job losses by state and congressional district is available here.
- A copy of Rep. Schauer’s letter to Secretaries Geithner and Locke is available below.
# # #
Dear Secretary Geithner and Secretary Locke:
We write to express our serious concerns about China’s continued manipulation of its currency. By pegging the renminbi (RMB) to the U.S. dollar at a fixed exchange rate, China unfairly subsidizes its exports and disadvantages foreign imports. As we work to promote a robust U.S. economic recovery, it is imperative that we address this paramount trade issue with all available resources. We urge your agencies to respond to China’s currency manipulation with the actions outlined in this letter. Doing so will allow American companies and workers to compete fairly against their Chinese counterparts and will boost U.S. economic recovery and growth.
The impact of China’s currency manipulation on the U.S. economy cannot be overstated. Maintaining its currency at a devalued exchange rate provides a subsidy to Chinese companies and unfairly disadvantages foreign competitors. U.S. exports to the country cannot compete with the low-priced Chinese equivalents, and domestic American producers are similarly disadvantaged in the face of subsidized Chinese imports. The devaluation of the RMB also exacerbates the already severe U.S-China trade deficit. Statistics show that between January 2000 and May 2009, China’s share of the U.S. trade deficit for non-oil goods grew from 26% to 83% -- an untenable pattern for American manufacturers. And finally, China’s exchange-rate misalignment threatens the stability of the global financial system by contributing to rampant Chinese inflation and accumulation of foreign reserves. For these compelling reasons, we ask your agencies to pursue the course of action below.
First, we urge the Department of Commerce to apply the U.S. countervailing duty law in defense of American companies who have suffered as a result of the currency manipulation. The U.S. is permitted to respond to subsidized imports where the elements of a subsidy are met under the countervailing duty law. The countervailing duty law outlines a three-part test to identify the presence of a countervailable subsidy: 1) that it involves a financial contribution from the government; 2) that it confers a benefit; and 3) that is specific to an industry or a group of industries. China’s exchange rate misalignment meets all three parts of this test and therefore merits the WTO-permitted application of countervailing duties.
Second, we ask the Department of Treasury to include China in its bi-annual agency report on currency manipulation. Since 1994 Treasury has not identified China as a country that manipulates its currency under the terms of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (“Trade Act of 1988”), but Secretary’s Geithner testimony to the Senate acknowledging that fact surely justifies the inclusion of China in the report. After labeling the country as a currency manipulator, Treasury should enter into negotiations with China regarding its foreign exchange regime. These combined actions will signal the government’s willingness to take decisive action against China’s currency manipulation, including the potential filing of a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization.
The recommendations identified above must be done in concert with intense diplomatic efforts, not only with China but also with the IMF and multi-laterally with other countries. Through a combined strategy of legal action and international pressure, it is possible China will revisit its undervaluation of the RMB. If these efforts are not successful, we ask the Administration to consider all the tools at its disposal, including the application of a tariff on Chinese imports, to respond to China’s currency manipulation. The economic impact of the RMB undervaluation on American businesses and workers is too great for the Administration not to pursue a comprehensive effort.
This economic downturn has underscored the pressing need to promote policies that protect U.S. jobs and U.S. businesses. Addressing China’s manipulation of its currency must be a critical part of our strategy to rebuild our economy and establish safeguards against future financial crises. The Administration has the legal ability and resources to protect American businesses in the face of China’s RMB devaluation, and we urge you to exercise this authority expeditiously.
Thank you for your consideration of this letter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Mark Schauer
Member of Congress
