Chinese trade official lobbys in US against duties on Chinese tires

China's commerce officials have lobbied in Washington for 2 days against raising duties on Chinese-made tires. The Obama administration has until September to decide whether to levy duties up to 55 percent.

Chinese officials held talks at the departments of State, Treasury and Commerce, and the US Trade Representative. Washington says it will seriously consider their suggestions.

Zhou Xiaoyan said "During 2 days of talks, both sides have expressed the desire to solve the dispute through negotiations. The discriminatory measures are mainly targeting China. The move is unfair to Chinese firms. The US has sent out a very wrong signal. If the US adopts the punitive duties, other countries will follow suit. The whole world is still fighting financial turmoil, and all nations should stick to the promise they made at the G20 Meeting in London."