A team of Chinese lobbyists has left for the United States to argue against proposals that would raise customs rates on Chinese-made tires. The non-governmental team includes members of the China Rubber Industry Association, as well as representatives of Chinese tire manufacturers.

They will plead against recent suggestions in the US that higher import tariffs be imposed on Chinese tires. The measures would result in a 55 percent customs hike on Chinese tires for a three-year period. The higher customs would also affect some 100,000 jobs in China.

The China Rubber Industry Association maintains that Chinese tires do not represent a threat to US manufacturers, as Chinese tires are used primarily for auto repairs, while US products go into auto manufacturing.

The team will attend hearings in the US, and will express the views of Chinese manufacturers. China's Commerce Ministry has vowed to take the case to World Trade Organization should Chinese enterprises suffer unfairly as a result of any customs increase.

Liu Yinan, Industry Representative, said, "So we asked the Chinese government to fight protectionism and negotiate with the US government to tackle the issue as quickly as possible."

(CCTV August 4, 2009)