ITC ISSUES INTERIM RULES TO MONITOR TRADE FROM CHINA

ITC ISSUES INTERIM RULES TO MONITOR TRADE FROM CHINA    The U.S. International Trade Commission issued interim rules Friday to conduct new types of investigations into market disruptions or trade diversions and reviews of relief action in connection to certain imports from China.
   The ITC is making these changes in accordance to Public Law 106-286, which was signed by the president on Oct. 10, 2000. This requires the ITC in specific cases “to determine whether products from the People’s Republic of China are being imported into the United States in such increased quantities or under such conditions as to cause or threaten to cause market disruption to the domestic producers of like or directly competitive products.”
   The agency said it will take comments about the interim rules through April 23. For more information, contact P.N. Smithey of the ITC’s Office of the General Counsel, at (202) 205-3086.
   Since China acceded to the World Trade Organization on Dec. 11, the ITC said “it is imperative that implementing rules be adopted as quickly as possible.”