March 23, 2018—Bill Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association released a statement in response to the Trump administration's announcement to levy tariffs on goods imported from China.
“The Auto Care Association supports the Trump administration’s efforts in addressing China’s unfair trade policies and practices through the Special 301 Investigation. We continue to work with our members to address a number intellectual property concerns, including counterfeit auto parts and brand protection on e-commerce platforms. Not only does theft of intellectual property pose a significant economic threat to the U.S. economy, it inhibits innovation and weakens competitiveness.
However, we are concerned with the tariffs President Trump has announced on imports from China. As a manufacturing hub and an important source of imports, China is a critical player in our industry’s supply chain. Imposing import restrictions and trade barriers will have unintended negative consequences on the U.S. economy and our industry’s global supply chains, likely causing discrimination against U.S. products and pricing out U.S. exporters in the global marketplace."
Hanvey said the association believes the tariffs would provoke retaliation, stifle U.S agriculture, goods and services exports and raise costs for businesses and consumers.
