Chris Murphy: “this is one of many bills we need to pass that deal with China and its continued policy of government support, pegging…”

“this is one of many bills we need to pass that deal with China and its continued policy of government support, pegging of its currency, not complying with trade laws. They have significantly lower wages, sometimes slave wages, in their plants. Over 90 percent of their steel production comes from government-owned steel mills. Their steel enjoys millions of dollars in government subsidies. China limits foreign participation in the wireless market by imposing severe regulatory requirements on telecommunications imports. The lack of intellectual property rights enforcement has resulted in epidemic levels of counterfeiting and piracy, causing serious harm to U.S. businesses. The implementation of questionable health standards affects what they will import from our agriculture. Their policies mandate the purchase of Chinese-owned software. They have a value-added tax on all non-Chinese semiconductors, which also hampers American manufacturers' ability to export to them. These unfair Chinese policies are hurting all American businesses, not just a few, and impact workers here. Only a strong American commitment to hold China accountable will bring about the changes necessary. Consideration of this bill is an important part of what we need to be doing in an extensive selection of things to hit back on China.”