China denounces U.S. shipbuilding probe as politically motivated ‘mistake’

(Yahoo Finance, Washington, 18 April 2024) China late Wednesday called on the United States to end its investigation into its shipbuilding industry, denouncing the probe as a politically motivated “mistake.” The official statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce was issued hours after U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the investigation during a speech he gave Wednesday at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa. The unfair practices alleged include policy loans from state-owned banks, equity infusions and debt-for-equity swaps, the provision of steel from state-owned steel producers at below market value, tax preferences, grants and “lavish financing from China’s state-owned export credit agencies,” among others.