Apex is moving to marshal retail support for a final hearing Apri...

Apex is moving to marshal retail support for a final hearing April 15 before the International Trade Commission (ITC), which will decide whether to impose duties on TVs imported from China and Malaysia, Apex Sales Vp Gary Bennett said. Among the retailers Apex contacted are Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Wal-Mart, he said. Wal-Mart testified against imposing duties during a preliminary ITC hearing. “We're not asking them [retailers] to defend us and the Chinese,” Bennett said: “We're asking them just to defend their own import situation.” Best Buy is among a growing number of retailers to have established a buying office in China. The Commerce Dept. is scheduled to release the proposed duties April 12 and the ITC will vote whether to impose them on May 14. TV set manufacturer Five Rivers Electronic Innovations and labor unions from Sanyo and Toshiba plants filed a complaint with ITC last May seeking duties of 84% and 64% on TVs shipped to the U.S. from China and Malaysia, respectively. Chinese manufacturers named in the complaint include Hisense, Konka, Sichaun Changhong and Skyworth. In 2002, imports from China rose to 1.2 million units with a value of $240.6 million, up from 56,295 ($23.9 million) a year earlier.