China is expected to take retaliatory measures if US President Barack Obama agrees next month to a plan to impose tariffs on some Chinese-made tires, experts said yesterday.

There is only a week left for the US Trade Representative (USTR) to submit the final proposal on the Chinese tire import case, also the largest of its kind in China by volume, at $2.2 billion.

Experts said the outcome is uncertain despite strong evidence that Chinese tires have not disrupted the American market, as well as efforts by the Chinese government during the past three months to stave off a US-imposed tariff.