Turkey imposed retaliatory tariffs Thursday on $1.8 billion of U.S. goods in response to Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. “Turkey is committed to active, robust and reciprocal trade relations with the US — but with the understanding that fairness cannot be one-sided,” Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said in a statement. “We cannot and […]
In testimony before a skeptical and sometimes combative group of senators Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross did his best to defend the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum and the controversial trade policies of the Trump administration. Despite his assurances that the process of reviewing product exclusion requests is on track, members of the […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: On Wednesday, during a Senate hearing on the Section 232 tariffs, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross offered some additional information on the volume of product exclusion requests he has received. As of June 20, there were […]
The Commerce Department’s procedure for filing requests to have products excluded from the Section 232 steel tariffs has been called confusing and burdensome by many companies, some of which have been thwarted in their attempts to file. Applications can be rejected for something as simple as an inaccurate Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code. In testimony […]
Major pipeline producers are seeking tariff exclusions for imported pipe used in pipeline projects currently in progress. Of the estimated 21,000 exclusion requests submitted to Commerce, more than 500 requests are for pipe and other energy-related materials. A report released June 18 by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) estimates 41,000 miles of […]
The European Commission announced that $3.2 billion in tariffs (€2.8 billion) on imports from the United States will go into effect on Friday, June 22. The “rebalancing measures” include steel and aluminum, agricultural goods and various other products and will remain in effect for as long as the U.S. tariffs on steel aluminum are in […]
India is fighting back against U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel by imposing higher tariffs on $235 million of American goods. The tariffs increase duties on 29 items including chickpeas, walnuts, almonds, lentil and artemia (brine shrimp). India, the largest buyer of U.S. almonds, has increased the tariff by 20 percent on almonds and walnuts […]
A meeting of the Global Forum on Excess Steel Capacity scheduled for Wednesday in Paris has been postponed until September as trade tension intensifies among world leaders. The agenda for the ministerial meeting of the 33-member Forum was to include discussions on preferential policies that China and other countries apply to their steel industries, as […]
The trade war with China has begun. On June 15, the United States announced it will place 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods. The announcement was swiftly followed by one from China imposing retaliatory tariffs in an equivalent amount. In a statement on Friday, President Trump said: “My great friendship with President […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest developments in Washington: The Trump administration announced new tariffs on China on Friday, covering about $36 billion in imports (2017 figures). Two lists were released. The first list consists of 863 tariff lines that will be subject to […]
Dan DiMicco is the outspoken chairman emeritus of Nucor Corp., a trade advisor to the president and current chairman of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, so it’s no surprise he is a strong defender of the 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods announced by the Trump administration this week. In […]
U.S. steelmakers filed trade cases this week on cold rolled and corrosion resistant (CORE) steels alleging that Korea and Taiwan are guilty of using the same circumvention tactics as the Chinese–namely sending hot rolled and cold rolled substrate to Vietnam. As many predicted, the Commerce Department’s recent Chinese circumvention ruling has set a precedent that […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest trade developments in Washington: • The Section 232 investigation into automobiles and auto parts is in the comment phase. The deadline for written comments is June 22. The hearing in the investigation is on July 19 and 20. If […]
Foreign-made automobiles and parts may soon be facing tariffs if the administration is successful in its investigation to determine whether imports of automobiles and auto parts threaten to impair national security. On May 23, the Commerce Department initiated a Section 232 investigation on imported automobiles and parts, noting that during the past 20 years imports […]
ArcelorMittal Mexico is requesting that government officials impose permanent tariffs on the import of steel slabs into Mexico from non-free-trade agreement countries. “Mexican slabs are without protection and we are working jointly and permanently with the SE to find a mechanism that could protect domestic production of slab from imports, which are impacting our ability […]
Speaking in support of the Section 232 tariffs, the American Line Pipe Producers Association is challenging recent claims by U.S. pipeline developers that they are unable to source sufficient quantities of large-diameter line pipe in the United States. The large-diameter welded pipe industry in the U.S. is operating at its lowest capacity in years—well under […]
Is Canada really guilty of the trade inequity that President Trump charges? We looked at two product targets of the administration—dairy and automobiles—to find out. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative estimates trade with Canada in 2017 totaled $673.9 billion–$341.2 billion in exports and $332.8 billion in imports, for a goods and services trade […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following commentary on the latest trade news in Washington: Is there anyone out there who believes President Trump is not methodically alienating our closest allies? Yesterday, in what was clearly a deliberate attempt to provoke the other six members of the G7, President […]
Meetings last week between the House Ways and Means Committee and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer failed to reassure congressional members that a clear strategy on trade exists within the administration. Neither Republican nor Democrats’ concerns were assuaged after discussions with Lighthizer on trade issues that included China, NAFTA negotiations, and Section 232 tariffs on […]
A new wrinkle has been revealed for those manufacturers seeking exclusions for steel and aluminum products from Brazil, South Korea and Argentina. The three countries, which have agreed to quotas in lieu of tariffs, are not eligible for any product exemptions. A spokesperson for the Commerce Department confirmed the restriction in an email to Inside […]
As a trade war continues to build over the Section 232 steel and aluminum measures, some senators are looking to curb the president’s authority to unilaterally impose tariffs. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is leading the effort along with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) to challenge President Trump’s ability to levy trade restrictions on the grounds of […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following update on trade events in Washington: Canada, Mexico and the nations in the European Union threatened to retaliate against Trump administration tariffs they consider grossly unfair and, true to their word, have announced tariffs of their own on a host of exports […]
Consumers in the United States may soon see their favorite products increase in price or become harder to find. In retaliation for Section 232 tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum, Canada plans to impose its own 25 percent and 10 percent tariffs on a wide variety of goods. The 25 percent tariff is restricted to […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following update on trade events in Washington: As briefly stated by the Trade Commissioner of the European Union, Cecilia Malmstrom, “Today is a bad day for world trade.” Malmstrom was referring to the announcement by President Trump that the 25 percent tariffs on steel […]
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has made it official—there will be no tariff exemptions for Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. In a briefing on Thursday, Ross said the tariffs of 25 percent on imports of steel and 10 percent on imports of aluminum will go into effect at midnight. Argentina, Brazil, Australia and South Korea […]
The Trump administration’s announcement today that it would not spare its closest trading partners from the 25 percent tariff on steel imports surprised many in the market. Effective at midnight, steel from Canada, Mexico and the EU countries will be subject to the same penalty as exports from China and other so-called “bad actors.” Steel […]
The American Institute for International Steel, a trade group representing foreign steelmakers, said it is deeply disappointed the Trump administration has decided to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU, Canada, and Mexico. “Make no mistake: restricting the raw material supply in the U.S. and imposing tariffs on imports from our closest […]
Lewis Leibowitz, trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following update on trade issues in Washington, including China, NAFTA, and a new Section 232 investigation on automotive imports: • The White House reported that 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports from China will be announced by June 15, and […]
The Canada Border Services Agency initiated an investigation on May 25 into the dumping and subsidizing of certain cold-rolled steels in coils or cut lengths from China, South Korea, and Vietnam. The investigation was prompted by a complaint from ArcelorMittal Dofasco. Cold rolled imports under the investigation increased from 85,075 metric tons in 2015 to […]
The Trump administration’s announced Section 232 investigation into imports of automobiles and auto parts is not sitting well with lawmakers or automotive industry analysts. Some lawmakers are calling the suggestion that automotive imports are a threat to national security an abuse of executive branch authority. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called the investigation […]