Baldwin highlights standing up to China shipbuilding

GREEN BAY — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin was in Green Bay Monday to highlight her work standing up to China and supporting U.S. shipbuilding jobs. Alongside the United Steelworkers (USW), Alliance for American Manufacturing and other labor leaders, Baldwin discussed her work to successfully push the Biden Administration to investigate the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) unfair trade practices in shipbuilding that undermine American workers and jeopardize national security.

“Over the last two decades, by cheating the system and employing unfair tactics, China has surged ahead and now leads the world in commercial shipbuilding, churning out over 1,000 vessels annually while the United States produces fewer than 10,” Baldwin said. “That’s why I’ve been proud to work alongside the Steelworkers to hold China accountable and protect American workers and national security.”

In March, Senator Baldwin joined USW and other labor leaders for a press conference in support of the American shipbuilding industry and to call on United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai to conduct a full investigation into the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) unfair trade practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. Shortly thereafter, the Biden Administration launched the investigation under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Over the last 20 years, the United States has lost industrial shipbuilding capacity while the PRC’s subsidized shipbuilding has only grown. Chinese state-owned enterprises and other facilities in the PRC are now capable of producing over 1,000 ocean-going vessels a year, while the United States currently produces fewer than 10. While shipbuilding capacity, suppliers and shipyards remain vital to the U.S. economy and national security, the PRC’s uncompetitive trade practices have led to 25,000 domestic shipbuilding suppliers leaving the U.S. market over the past 20 years.