Seventy members of Congress are calling on the Biden administration to “consider a strong and effective relief package” to rebuild America’s ailing shipbuilding industry.
The parliamentary Labor group on Friday expressed public support for an ongoing investigation into China’s misconduct in the shipbuilding industry. Request to the Biden administration “Take decisive action to correct decades of unfair and discriminatory policies.”
Labor union federation launched in March filed a petition The Office of the United States Trade Representative has called for a “Section 301” investigation into China’s commercial shipbuilding industry, alleging that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using all kinds of unfair practices to control the global industry. USTR officially The investigation began in April.is still ongoing.
Meanwhile, China continues to dominate the global shipbuilding industry. Chinese shipyards produce more than 1,000 ocean-going ships each year, while the United States produces fewer than 10. This is a threat to our economy and national security, the Congressional Labor Caucus told President Biden. Letter of October 18th:
China’s misbehavior and its resulting vast maritime capabilities in the face of our nation’s shipbuilding crisis have led to alarm bells ringing in our military leadership. According to U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro, China operates 13 large-scale shipyards, each with more production capacity than all U.S. shipyards combined. Even more shocking is that the US Navy estimates that China’s shipbuilding capacity is approximately 232 times that of the US.
This did not happen by chance, the lawmakers wrote. While the United States allowed its commercial shipbuilding industry to decline, the Chinese Communist Party did everything it could to seize market share and global domination. They point out that:
The U.S. shipbuilding and maritime supply chain industry is being forced to compete on an uneven playing field, with shipyards and order books that have benefited from hundreds of billions of dollars in state-sponsored funding. China’s industry is isolated from market forces, leveraging state-owned enterprises to provide cheap raw materials, reduce production costs for shipyards, and strengthen the People’s Liberation Army’s navy with extensive shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance capabilities. I am doing it.
To get things back on track, we must “(b) break the boom-bust cycles that have plagued U.S. shipbuilders” and rebuild a sustainable U.S. shipbuilding industry supported by a highly trained workforce. Significant investments will need to be made to build it, the lawmakers wrote. Possible remedies included in the union-filed petition, such as the creation of the U.S. Commercial Shipbuilding Revitalization Fund, offer a good path forward, the lawmakers added.
“We look forward to USTR’s investigation concluding that China’s predatory actions demonstrate a clear and unequivocal intent to dominate global markets to the detriment of U.S. workers and industry. “There is,” they wrote. “The results of the investigation, with your cooperation, could lead to the introduction of measures to restore U.S. capabilities in these areas.”
lead letter It was Congressional Labor Caucus co-chairs Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Rep. Donald Norcross (D.N.J.), Rep. Stephen Horsford (D-Nev.), and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Mich.). (Wisconsin) and caucus members Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut), and Val Hoyle (D-Oregon). Additional letter signatories can be found here. Click here to read the full letter.
