As Obama visits Ohio, admin hits China on trade
As President Obama makes a campaign swing through Ohio Monday, the administration files a formal unfair-trade complaint against China for subsidizing auto parts manufacturers, undercutting U.S. firms.
COLUBMUS, Ohio -- As President Obama travels to Ohio for two campaign stops Monday, the White House will demand that China’s government stop subsidizing auto parts made for export, arguing that undercuts U.S. manufacturers and costs jobs.
The administration plans to ask the World Trade Organization to take action against China for the subsidies. In addition, the White House will request a WTO investigation of tariffs that China places on American car imports as an unfair trade practice.
These actions were first reported by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the largest newspaper in this crucial swing state. Obama is scheduled to campaign in Cincinnati and Columbus Monday.
An estimated 54,200 Ohioans work for auto-parts manufacturers; including everything from assembly to sales, 12.4 percent of Ohio’s workforce is employed by the automobile industry. Obama’s bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, which Republican rival Mitt Romney opposed, has been a major theme of the campaign in the state.
“President Obama has spent 43 months failing to confront China's unfair trade practices," Romney said in a statement. "Campaign-season trade cases may sound good on the stump, but it is too little, too late for American businesses and middle-class families. President Obama’s credibility on this issue has long since vanished."
A Romney ad that accuses Obama of being soft on China's trade perfidy has been airing heavily in Ohio. See it here:
Joey Cappelletti and Simran Parwani, Associated Press
Nicole Winfield, Associated Press
Evan Halper, Washington Post
Kellen Browning, Anna Griffin, and Glenn Thrush, New York Times
Safiyah Riddle and Eric Tucker, Associated Press
Nicholas Riccardi and Ali Swenson, Associated Press
Laurie Kellman, Associated Press
Meg Kinnard, Associated Press
Kellen Browning, New York Times
Shawn Hubler, New York Times
Karoun Demirjian, New York Times
Anya Jabour, Made By History
Ali Swenson, Associated Press
Terrence McCoy, Marina Dias, and Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post
Theodoric Meyer and Klara Auerbach, Washington Post
Steve Thompson, Washington Post
Takahito Moriyama, Made By History
Alanna Durkin Richer, Joshua Goodman, and Becky Bohrer, Associated Press
Mike Livingston























