Oregon Public Broadcasting

On a visit to Oregon Tuesday, China’s ambassador decried President Obama’s decision to impose a 35 percent tariff on Chinese tires.

Ambassador Wu Jianmin visited students at Portland’s International School.  Afterwards he said he wants the trade dispute quickly worked out by the World Trade Organization.

Wu Jianmin: “The feeling I’ve got is that people are not very happy about it, since business between Oregon State and China is growing for the benefit of the two sides. People believe that has to be resolved through negotiations.”

Oregon-based tire giant, Les Schwab has been trying to stop a tariff for months. The International Trade Commission says Chinese imports have disrupted the U.S. market.

The Bush administration rejected the idea of tire tariffs four times.