Washington, DC, August 23, 2021 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Tai and Treasury Secretary Yellen urging the Administration to relaunch trade talks with China and drop some of the Section 301 Tariffs implemented under the previous Administration. SFIA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Business Roundtable, The National Retail Federation and almost three dozen other leading business groups on the letter.
“The Tariffs on Chinese imports were restricting commerce prior to COVID-19 and the impact has worsened during the pandemic.” said Tom Cove, President & CEO of SFIA. “The Tariffs have not had the desired effect as China continues to dominate the manufacturing marketplace. Dropping or reducing these tariffs now, will help the industry and the U.S. economy recover faster.”
The business community is concerned that China is not living up to the terms of the “Phase One” trade deal, and many of the remaining trade issues still need to be addressed. The letter identifies the continued imposition of tariffs by both countries as inconsistent with the Biden Administration’s worker-centric philosophy. Additionally, these tariffs are contributing to inflation and price increases. Removal or reduction of the tariffs would ease the inflationary pressure on the U.S. economy and limit price increases.
You can view the letter sent to the administration here: https://www.uschina.org/advocacy/regulatory-comments-on-china/industry-letter-next-steps-after-phase-one
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ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.