Røe Isaken discussed car customs with the US Secretary of Commerce
Business Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen (Høyre/Conservative Party) has discussed the trade war and car customs with his American colleague, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
“The US is important for Norway and Norwegian companies, and it is important to be on the ball,” says Røe Isaksen.
He met the US Secretary of Commerce in Washington D.C. on Thursday.
“My message was that Norwegian companies are creating jobs and values on both sides of the Atlantic through activity, establishments and investments in the USA. In order for this cooperation to grow, we depend on good market access and fair competition for Norwegian companies,” he says.
The US authorities have previously said that they rate tariffs on cars and car parts at 20 to 25 %. Wilbur Ross signaled at the meeting that there is less reason to worry about such a penalty on car parts.
“This is good news, because for Norway it is about NOK 300 million in exports. Such a duty will have consequences for Norway as a shipping nation, because every other car transported around the world is on a Norwegian ship,” says Røe Isaksen.
They discussed the US-China trade conflict.
“It is positive that the US and China are in talks, but the unpredictability is still great, and this is expensive for business,” says Røe Isaksen.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
