NAFTA negotiators failed to reach an agreement in time for the U.S.-imposed deadline of May 17, potentially delaying a vote on the trade agreement by Congress until after the U.S. midterm elections and the Mexican presidential election. “The NAFTA countries are nowhere near close to a deal,” said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in a […]
In its final determination in the Vietnam CORE anti-circumvention case, the Commerce Department ruled Thursday that imports of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel from Vietnam will still be subject to substantial antidumping and countervailing duties unless the importer can prove the substrate used in the production process was not sourced from China. “Commerce may face challenges to […]
Lewis Leibowitz, a trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, offers the following update on trade issues in Washington affecting the steel industry: • Section 301 Hearing on Proposed Tariffs: On May 16, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office will kick off three days of hearings on the proposed Section 301 tariffs on China announced […]
Tinplate steel manufacturers received the backing of a bipartisan group of House members who urged the administration to exclude steel used for can manufacturing from Section 232 tariffs. In a letter dated May 10, Congress members implored Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross not to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel used exclusively for can manufacturing, citing […]
This week, objections to steel product exclusion requests started to appear in the government website. First, an update on exclusions: 7,561 comments filed (not all of these are exclusion requests; there are some general comments. However, most are likely exclusion requests or objections) 2,671 comments posted on the website, of which 21 are general comments. […]
Thousands of manufacturers, big and small, have filed paperwork with the Commerce Department requesting that their products be exempted from the 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports. Their argument is that their product must be imported because it is not produced in the United States in a sufficient […]
In a bipartisan letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Monday, 39 members of the House argued that the process for reviewing Section 232 tariff exclusion requests is moving far too slowly. They urged Commerce to streamline the process and provide certainty and relief to the thousands of small businesses impacted by the tariffs. Commerce […]
Thailand was granted a tariff exemption for steel pipe exports to the United States, but only on a shipment basis, said Wanchai Varavithya, deputy director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Foreign Trade Department. Said Wanchai, “Although the U.S. Department of Commerce has yet to grant a waiver on import tariffs for all shipments from Thailand, exporters […]
Members of Congress have asked the Commerce Department to clarify and improve the process by which manufacturers apply for exclusions from Section 232 tariffs for raw materials required to produce their products. The following is a statement from the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users commending the action and expressing concern over the use […]
Lewis Leibowitz, a Washington trade attorney and contributor to Steel Market Update, reports on announcements this past week on Trump administration tariff exemptions/quotas: • Argentina reached a quota agreement on steel, which means that imports from that country (mostly seamless pipe for energy use) will not pay the 25 percent tariff. They agreed to an annual […]
Trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz has been gracious in offering our readers his take on trade issues on almost a daily basis. With the wide variety of trade issues confronting U.S. companies it is very difficult to stay on top of those that might affect your company, either today (such as Section 232 tariffs, AD/CVD duties) […]
Trade attorney Lewis E. Leibowitz has been providing updates on the Section 232 tariffs, product exclusions and country exclusions on almost a daily basis over the past couple of weeks. We have been sharing his thoughts with our readers as many of you are (or will be) impacted by the existence of tariffs and/or quotas. […]
Argentina and South Korea will be exempt from Section 232 tariffs in exchange for agreeing to quotas on steel and aluminum products. Argentina’s steel quota will be 135 percent of the average of Argentine steel exports during the past three years. The quota will allow the import of about 180,000 tons of steel per year […]
Brazil says it will agree to quotas on finished and semi-finished steel exports to the U.S. in return for exemption from the 25 percent Section 232 tariffs, according to Inside U.S. Trade. Brazil is the latest country to capitulate to U.S. demands, agreeing to a quota of 70 percent of its three-year average exports of […]
A ruling that will assist in the enforcing measures against circumvention was approved this week by the U.S Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court ruled that the “substantial transformation analysis” is approved for use by Commerce in determining country-of-origin for products subject to antidumping and countervailing duties. The substantial transformation test determines […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on events in Washington: Product Exclusions—The Latest No objections to product exclusions had been posted on the regulations.gov website as of April 29. The BIS regulations require objections to be submitted to BIS within 30 days after a request has been posted. […]
Just days before the U.S. is due to announce if it will extend the steel tariff exemptions it granted to its closest trading partners, officials in Canada announced plans to strengthen border enforcement to prevent transshipments and diversion of unfairly priced steel into North America. It’s difficult not to see a link between Canada’s announcement […]
NAFTA negotiators are working feverishly to reach an agreement in principle by May 4. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer canceled plans to meet with lawmakers from the New Democratic Coalition in favor of continuing meetings with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts. The Coalition, composed of 68 pro-trade House Democrats, hoped to have a chance to […]
Were it not for the surprisingly strong steel demand, the price hikes prompted by the Trump administration tariffs would be a disaster, say manufacturers. As it is, the effects of the Section 232 tariffs are proving troublesome for many companies. President Trump is due to announce May 1 whether his 25 percent tariff on steel […]
Steel quotas may be in the cards for Brazil as it attempts to negotiate its way into a permanent exemption from the 25 percent steel tariffs scheduled to go into effect on May 1. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross reportedly told Brazil’s Minister of Affairs that the quickest way to win exemptions would be to […]
It will be a busy week in Washington. Tariffs and their consequences will play a large role in this week’s events, reports trade attorney Lewis Leibowitz: • French President Emmanuel Macron is in Washington to discuss a number of issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and the Middle East. Steel and aluminum tariffs will not be at […]
President Trump’s tariffs on steel imports, designed to protect steel industry jobs, are likely to lead to a net loss in U.S. employment, at least in the short to medium run, contend economists with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The tariffs, and their effects on steel prices, are likely to cost more jobs […]
A new study by Martin Associates questioning the relationship between steel tariffs and mill capacity utilization was largely dismissed by the Commerce Department as industry propaganda, prompting a stern response from the American Institute for International Steel. AIIS released the analysis by Dr. John Martin on April 18 and stands behind his findings. The Secretary […]
Uttam Galva and its North American subsidy won an initial ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade in an appeal of antidumping duties placed on its imports of corrosion resistant steel to the United States. In June 2015, an antidumping investigation on imports of corrosion resistant steel products from multiple countries, including India, was […]
U.S. manufacturing groups claiming to represent more than 30,000 users of steel and aluminum announced a new coalition Wednesday to oppose the Trump administration’s Section 232 tariffs. The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users includes the Industrial Fasteners Institute, the National Tooling & Machining Association, the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers, the […]
Pipe producer Borusan Mannesmann Pipe U.S. is among a reported 3,500 companies that have requested product exclusions from President Trump’s Section 232 steel tariffs. Borusan has filed for exclusions on 19 items, which covers the various diameters of its oil country tubular goods line. Borusan Mannesmann, a subsidiary of the Borusan Group in Turkey, operates […]
The European Union has thrown down the gauntlet to the U.S. regarding trade negotiations. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said there will be no future trade talks with the U.S. until the EU receives a permanent exclusion from tariffs on steel and aluminum. No concessions will be made to the U.S. to receive the exclusion, […]
Trade attorney and Steel Market Update contributor Lewis Leibowitz offers the following update on recent events in Washington: • By my count, the Bureau of Industry and Security at Commerce has posted 82 exclusion requests for steel and aluminum combined. The Washington Post reported that 1,200 requests had been submitted to BIS. The NPR program Marketplace yesterday […]
The two-year Section 337 investigation brought by U.S. Steel against Chinese steel manufacturers has been officially terminated by the U.S. International Trade Commission. All three components of the investigation—antitrust violation, transshipment, and trade secret theft—are now dissolved without action against the Chinese steel producers and distributors. According to an April 9 notice, U.S. Steel did […]
“The tariffs are already causing our jobs and work to shift to competitors outside our borders and will continue to do so until action is taken. What was presented as a tariff on foreign steel producers has effectively become a tax on U.S. manufacturers like us,” stated Kevin Kennedy, president of Kennedy Fabricating, Inc., Splendora, […]