Chinese firms actively participate in US court hearing

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Europe

02:59

Monday marked the final day of a six-day public hearing in the US on tariff hikes on imports from China. Chinese companies there have expressed themselves about a proposed additional 25 percent tariffs on 200 billion US dollar worth of Chinese goods and US companies in turn voiced their concerns.

Zhejiang Fomdas company is one of Chinese companies attended the US court hearing./CGTN photo

Zhejiang Fomdas Foods, specialists in satsumas in airtight containers, has been the US' favorite mandarin oranges supplier since the late 1990s. Nevertheless, the US government plans to impose a 25 percent tariffs on satsumas, which may severely disrupt the company's operation and future sales.

Xu Xiaofang, the president of Zhejiang Fomdas, who attended the US public hearing, said: "Our products account for over 95 percent of mandarin oranges in American markets. It is nearly impossible to find alternative suppliers in a short period of time."

He explained that they were not very familiar with American laws and regulations and an American attorney more experienced in this regard is indispensable for them.

After testimony from scores of Chinese companies, most called their products irreplaceable./CGTN photo

Chinese companies also stressed that the tariffs would raise costs and increase burdens on American consumers, and most products in question are not of strategic significance, therefore the imposition of tariffs would not contribute to the goals stated in the US investigation.

Associate Professor Yi Bo from School of law in Southeast University participated in the last three days of hearings. /CGTN photo

Yi Bo, associate professor from the School of Law at Southeast University, said: "Compared with the previous two public hearings with merely one Chinese company each time, this time six Chinese companies were in attendance. They all came prepared and played up their products a lot."

Yi says that attending the public hearings does not guarantee a good result for these Chinese exporters. However, as the saying goes, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.

"As more Chinese companies go global, it is paramount for them to keep improving their core competitiveness. It is also incumbent upon them to study differences in various legal systems, so that they can be perceived in a positive light in front of judges and juries."

Yi Bo says that Chinese companies can learn from the American court process. /CGTN photo

Yi told CGTN that Chinese companies can start by telling a warm, fuzzy, human story about their company and products, then they can elaborate the detailed reason on why their products need to be exempted from the list.

Xu said Chinese company representatives will have to wait four to six weeks for the final result. They are not sure when the trade tensions will subside, but they hope their high-quality products can be enjoyed by Americans and other world consumers.

Many American businesses also voiced objections to the proposed additional tariffs.