Bush rejects Chinese tubing sanction

Bush rejects Chinese tubing sanction

President Bush on Friday rejected calls for a quota on Chinese imports of standard steel tubing, going against the advice of the International Trade Commission. Bush said that even if he imposed the sanctions on Chinese tube importers, the U.S. would not really benefit because other exporting countries would take China's place in the market. Domestic steelworkers are outraged over the President's decision, as they feel the American steel industry has already been significantly damaged by cheap imports from China. International vice president of the United Steelworkers, Tom Conway, used strong words Friday to vent his anger at the administration over this outcome. "We followed the rules approved by Congress for trade law enforcement, showing China pipe imports are unfairly surging within the past three years, and the U.S. government's own investigation agreed, yet President Bush has chosen to support China over American interests," he said. "How many more American jobs will the Republican leadership sacrifice before it shows backbone?"