Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United States has set preliminary anti-dumping duties ranging from 90 to nearly 175 percent on about $30 million worth of electric blankets from China, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Wednesday. The ruling is a victory for Jarden Consumer Solutions, a Florida-based subsidiary of consumer products company Jarden Corp (JAH.N). It filed a petition earlier this year asking for protection against its Chinese competitors. The relatively small case is of one several ongoing U.S. investigations into charges that Chinese companies are selling their goods in the United States at unfairly low prices and benefit...

Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexey Gordeev met with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday in Sochi to discuss trade with the United States. Gordeev has suggested depriving the U.S. of its 80-percent quota on chicken imports to Russia in response to the U.S. refusal to sign off on Russia's accession to the World Trade Association.

WASHINGTON — Congress put its final stamp of approval Wednesday on legislation dumping a trade law that allows U.S. companies to profit from penalties on Canadian imports like softwood lumber. The measure, which goes into effect Oct. 1, 2007, was part of a massive budget-cutting bill passed by the House of Representatives. President George W. Bush said in a statement he looked forward to signing the bill. Canada has always argued the so-called Byrd amendment must go. The five-year-old law allows the Treasury to funnel money from duties on imported goods directly to U.S. rival companies. It's still unclear what...