Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the new 301 tariff list announced today, reiterating manufacturers’ call for an approach that includes a rules-based bilateral trade agreement with China. In January, Timmons sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to pursue a trade agreement with China to wholly restructure our economic relationship.

There is no question that China cheats and that its unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft are hurting America’s manufacturing workers. To put an end to these threats and redefine the U.S.– China economic relationship, manufacturers are calling for a new path forward: a fair, binding, enforceable bilateral trade agreement. This approach would end fears of a trade war, get China to play by the rules and secure manufacturing jobs in the United States. Manufacturers certainly have concerns that tariffs will cause more problems than they solve, but we also recognize that the administration may intend to use them as a negotiating tactic to bring China to the table and achieve larger goals. A trade war never benefits anyone, so rather than pursuing a piecemeal tariffs approach, now is the time to seize the opportunity before us and work toward a U.S.– China trade agreement that will benefit American workers for generations to come.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12 million men and women, contributes $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic impact of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.