Trade Cases
WTO panel rules in favor of US in 232 tariff quarrel with Turkey
Written by Laura Miller
December 19, 2023
A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel has ruled in favor of the US in a case regarding retaliatory tariffs imposed by Turkey in response to Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum.
In 2018, the Trump Administration placed Section 232 tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum imports for national security reasons. In response, Turkey put retaliatory tariffs on coal, paper, walnuts/almonds, tobacco, unprocessed rice, whiskey, automobiles, cosmetics, machinery equipment, and petrochemical products from the US, according to Reuters.
The WTO panel’s Dec. 19 ruling recognized the Section 232 levies are a security measure enacted by the US and that Turkey is violating WTO rules by imposing “retaliatory tariffs disguised as safeguard measures,” Sam Michel, spokesperson for the office of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, said in a statement.
“The WTO does not have the authority to second-guess a WTO member’s response to threats to its security, and WTO reform must ensure that issues of national security cannot be reviewed in WTO dispute settlement,” Michel said.
The panel has recommended that Turkey “bring its WTO-inconsistent measure into conformity with its obligations under” the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
Additionally, non-market excess capacity from China, Turkey, and others “is an existential threat to market-oriented steel and aluminum sectors and, through the effects on imports, a threat to US national security, including by eroding US steel and aluminum manufacturing capacity,” Michel said.
He added that the WTO has been ineffective at dealing with non-market excess capacity.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SMU_LM_headshot.png.jpg-150x150.png)
Laura Miller
Read more from Laura MillerLatest in Trade Cases
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/fist.png)
Steel industry groups urge House action on LTPF 2.0
Six steel industry organizations have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to include the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act in any proposed package of legislation against China’s "unfair" trade practices.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CRU-Logo-2023-07-21-at-4.35.41-PM.png)
CRU: Poor steel margins continue to push down raw material prices
Both iron ore and coking coal prices fell this week because of resistance from buyers. Iron ore prices have continued to fall throughout the past week, following sharp declines in steel prices in China, given no new policy announcement from the ‘Third Plenum’ meeting.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/CRU-Logo-2023-07-21-at-4.35.41-PM.png)
CRU: Imports cause concern in India and Vietnam
High levels of steel imports, especially from China, in recent months are worrying steel makers in India and Vietnam.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/Price-Alan-FullRes-3000px-scaled.jpg)
Price: The new greenwashing – subsidies to bail out obsolete, excess capacity
The United Kingdom and other countries are using the “green” label to subsidize bailouts of obsolete, inefficient, and excess capacity that should exit the market. US steelmakers have invested billions of dollars in technologies that curb greenhouse gas output. These investments have been market-based and led by EAF producers such as Nucor, Steel Dynamics, and CMC.
![](https://www.steelmarketupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/images/Featured_News_Icons/AISI.png)
AISI, AISC, University of Massachusetts get ~$6.4M EPA grant
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have received a grant to enhance emissions reporting for steel construction projects.