News
ISSA Advocacy Recap—Retail Sales Grow in China but Remain ‘Weakest Link’ in Recovery
September 18, 2020
Welcome to the ISSA Advocacy Recap, our regular roundup of the latest public policy issues impacting the cleaning industry. This week’s recap touches on China’s retail sales growth, the World Trade Organization (WTO) finding that the U.S. violated trade rules with tariffs on China, the increase of U.S. manufacturing production in August, and more.
China Retail Sales Are Growing; Remain ‘Weakest Link’ in China’s Recovery
Retail sales in China grew in August for the first time since the start of 2020, heralding China’s continued economic recovery following the coronavirus-sparked slowdown. Total retail sales of consumer goods grew 0.5% year-on-year last month, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. Retail sales in the first eight months of 2020 dropped 8.6% compared to the first eight months of 2019.
U.S. Violated Trade Rules With Tariffs on China, WTO Says
A panel of three World Trade Organization (WTO) trade experts said the U.S. broke global regulations when the nation imposed tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018. Washington has imposed levies on US$400 billion in Chinese exports. The panel said in its report that “the United States had not met its burden of demonstrating that the measures are provisionally justified,” Bloomberg News reported.
U.S. Manufacturing Production Increases in August
U.S. factory output increased solidly in August, although momentum is slowing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The Federal Reserve said that manufacturing production rose 1.0% last month after surging 3.9% in July. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast manufacturing output would rise 1.2% in August.
Other links of interest
- EPA Issues Final Rule on Guidance Document Transparency
- S. Stands Down on 10% Aluminum Tariffs Imposed on Canada
- Court Rules Trump Can End TPS Protections for Almost 300,000 Immigrants
- Trump Urges Republicans to Back Bigger Coronavirus Bill
- TIME IS RUNNING OUT: TAKE ACTION NOW! Tell Your Elected Officials to ‘Return to the Negotiating Table’
