Original title: "the footwear industry in the United States cannot be decoupled from China"
Interview with Priest, chairman of the footwear wholesalers and Retailers Association of the United States
Newspaper reporter Zhang Mengxu in the US
"China is the most important footwear supplier in the United States. The United States needs to import about 2 billion 300 million pairs of shoes every year, of which 70% comes from China. Us and Chinese manufacturers and consumers are victims of the US government's tariff policy, and no one can benefit from it. " Matt Priest, chairman of the American footwear wholesalers and Retailers Association, said in an interview with our reporter recently.
The American shoe wholesalers and Retailers Association has more than 500 member enterprises, accounting for 90% of the US shoe manufacturers. "There is always a voice in the United States discussing the possibility of decoupling economic and trade relations between the two countries," he said. From the perspective of the footwear industry in the United States, this decoupling is totally unthinkable. China has sufficient labor force and strong production capacity, and a strong supply chain has been established between the United States and China. It is a basic fact that the footwear industry in the United States cannot be decoupled from China. "
"The US government has repeatedly claimed that" China will pay for customs duties, "which is obviously not true. Tariffs will eventually be passed on to American consumers. Mr Prieste said that in the 30s of last century, the Hoover Administration introduced the "Smoot Hawley Tariff Act", which substantially increased import tariffs on over 20 thousand foreign goods, with a view to reducing imports and clearing domestic backlogs, resulting in a worldwide trade war and a sharp decline in US exports. This is considered to be one of the reasons for the great depression in the United States and the great disaster in the world. A scene in history may repeat itself today. "Tariff increases will lead to higher commodity prices, which will lead to reduced demand, declining sales, declining profits and inflation. Tariffs will hurt us economic prospects and affect the global economy. "
This is more than priestly worry. In August 28th, a coalition of more than 160 US business organizations wrote a letter to the US government asking for a delay in the Levy of tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States, adding that tariffs would harm the interests of American workers and consumers and have a negative impact on the US economy. The US investment bank Goldman Sachs has released a report that the uncertainty brought by the trade war will plunge the US economy into a recession cycle.
He served as Assistant Secretary for textiles and clothing affairs of the US Department of Commerce. "Business development requires stable policy environment and predictable policy. Unfortunately, I can't see any coherent policy from this US government. Today's and tomorrow's statements may be totally different. Under such circumstances, how can we carry out long-term business planning? This uncertainty seriously hampered the development of American business. "
Priestly told reporters that he had visited China 25 times and established good cooperative relations with Chinese partners. He believes that China's market economy is improving day by day, and the positive progress in the protection of intellectual property rights and market access is obvious to all.
(Washington, D.C., August 29)
Source: People's daily
