Washington, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the United States Trade Representative held a hearing on the proposed tariffs on 16 billion U.S. dollars of Chinese goods on July 24. Dozens of representatives of companies and industry associations opposed the U.S. government's proposed tariffs on Chinese goods, saying that the move will hurt the supply chain of U.S. companies and consumers.

A total of 61 representatives of enterprises and trade associations attended the hearing on the same day, representing industries including semiconductors, chemicals, cables, home appliances, retail and so on. Many representatives said that the Chinese goods they imported did not infringe on US intellectual property rights, as the US government claimed, and did not pose any threat to US national security.

Guo Hong, vice president of international trade at the Retail Industry Leaders Association of the United States, testified, showing several items on the US tax list, including Christmas lights, plastic straws, plastic plastic wrap and plastic tablecloths. She said those goods were largely made by Chinese manufacturers, and that if the United States imposed taxes on them, American consumers would be forced to spend more on holiday shopping. She called for those goods to be removed from the list.

When asked by administration officials whether they could look for suppliers outside China, several representatives said the proposal was unrealistic. Replacing Chinese suppliers, they said, would be a long and expensive process that most companies would not be able to afford, given China's extensive infrastructure, abundant labor and experience working with U.S. companies.

Robert Hinsch, a representative from the textile industry, said, "It has taken us 20 years to establish such close cooperation with Chinese suppliers. "If we change suppliers, it takes at least two years."

On June 15, based on the unilateral findings of the Section 301 investigation, the US government announced that it would impose 25% import tariffs on US $50 billion of goods originating in China, of which the additional tariffs on about US $34 billion of Chinese goods to the US were implemented on July 6.

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