EU & Chinese imports............. .................... .............

Some EU countries wanted to impose higher tariffs upon imports from China. Doing so would have helped to protect the steel industry in EU member countries (including the UK). It would have also raised money.

However, the UK were against so it didn't happen.

It is interesting that the UK government did NOT want to protect the UK steel industry from Chinese imports... but other EU countries did.

The reason given by the UK government for their opposition was that shoes imported to the UK from China would have become slightly more expensive.

Norwich used to have a shoe manufacturing industry as did places such as Northampton. The industries were virtually wiped-out by Chinese imports.

If the UK government had supported raising tariffs on Chinese imports then the UK shoe manufacturing industries etc. may have had a chance to grow again.

EU countries are actually trying to protect manufacturing industries but the UK is against doing so. The UK government wants cheap imports from China at the expense of manufacturing jobs in the UK.

Posted By: Larry Hagman, Apr 29, 14:15:48