From the ABC …..

Manufacturing tariffs to stay in China FTA

The Federal Industry Minister has ruled out abolishing import tariffs in the automotive and clothing industries as part of a free trade agreement with China.

It is expected Chinese negotiators will push for import tariffs to be cut to allow China to sell more products in the Australian market.

Unions have condemned China's suggestion, saying the clothing and automotive industries will suffer if the concession is made.

Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane has told Channel Nine he will stick to the existing industry plans, which expire in 2015.

"They're not negotiable and it's understood that those plans have given the industries involved a decade of certainty and it would be unwise to interfere with those plans in terms of the China FTA," he said.