Tag: trade policy

The Mexican government is pushing to have steel and auto tariffs removed in its next round of USMCA negotiations with the US, according to a report in El Pais.

The recent announcement that the United States will seek changes to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) before agreeing to extend it should surprise no one. In fact, this is exactly what the agreement envisioned.

Steel trade groups and unions in the US have weighed in on the USMCA review process, as the US announced it would not renew the trade pact in its current form.

We asked our readers what they thought the outcome of the ongoing USMCA talks might be as far as Section 232 tariffs go. Very few see an elimination of tariffs as likely.

The US government did not agree to renew the USMCA agreement in its current form, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday.

As the US enters negotiations and possible annual reviews of the USMCA, policymakers should preserve the S232 tariffs, which have clearly been necessary to protect the US steel industry.

SMU’s June 12 Flat-Rolled Steel Buyers’ Survey shows a divided steel community on the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies, emerging but uneven signs of reshoring, and near-universal cost pressures tied to the Iran conflict.

President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that he may not renew the US-Mexico-Canada agreement.

The Office of the US Trade Representative has proposed a Section 301 tariff carve-out for direct-reduced iron (DRI) and hot-briquetted iron (HBI) from Brazil while planning higher tariffs for other major suppliers.

Catherine Cobden, President and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) called the past year’s 50% tariff imposed on Canada’s steel exports to the US ‘severe and unsustainable.’ 

The forced-labor and Brazil 301 actions are aimed more at finished goods supply chains, not raw metals.

The official beginning of the USMCA review is less than a month away. But negotiations have already started, and steel tariffs could hang in the balance.  

President Donald Trump issued a June 1 proclamation modifying Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper. He pointed to new Commerce Department recommendations and “recent circumstances” affecting US users of industrial and agricultural equipment.

Steel imports could become even more prohibitive, facing even higher tariffs, pending the outcome of the Trump administration’s Section 301 investigation.

Through a tariff carve-out, Tata Steel UK is able to send steel products melted in the Netherlands to the US at the UK’s reduced 25% Section 232 rate.

Unsurprisingly, the Trump-Xi Beijing summit ended without a major announcement on trade. Behind the celebratory mood and photo-ops are years of economic harm from China’s predatory trade practices that cannot be overcome in a single meeting.

Ternium expects steel demand in Mexico to keep improving through the second quarter as destocking fades and new industrial policies take hold.

Nucor executives said US steel demand remains stable, with pockets of strength in data centers, energy, border fence work, and infrastructure.

The US Department of Commerce has released new procedures allowing certain steel and aluminum producers in Canada and Mexico to qualify for reduced Section 232 tariffs – but only if they commit to building new primary production capacity inside the United States.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said rules of origin will be a major focus of upcoming USMCA review talks.

The president’s April 2 proclamation restructures how derivative products are classified, valued, and tariffed – a shift that industry groups say will close loopholes but could raise costs for certain downstream imports.

What impact could the war in Iran have on the steel raw materials supply chain and prices?

The Steel Manufacturers Association’s (SMA's) Philip K. Bell believes President Trump’s steel tariffs have been effective so far, and thinks we should remain “solution-focused” regarding the upcoming USMCA review.

The office of the US Trade Representative has opened a major Section 301 investigation into structural excess capacity across global manufacturing, with steel and aluminum at the center of the inquiry.

With the Iran war approaching its third week, the future course and scope of the conflict remain uncertain. Even so, while the human costs are the most immediate and tragic, the global economic implications have already proven to be significant.

A year after being blindsided by hefty tariffs from its top trading partner, Canadian steelmakers are renewing their call for tariff-free trade between the US and Canada.

Mexico’s Secretary of Economy is conducting ‘Operation Clean-Up,” inspecting suspicious steel companies to verify compliance with rules of origin.

The Council on American Steel Trade (CAST) introduces itself as “pro-USA steel manufacturing and is led by trade experts representing every level of the American steel supply chain – from iron ore mining and integrated and mini-mills to processors, downstream steel-derivative producers, and the hardworking men and women of America’s steel workforce.”

Leaders of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) and the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) used this year's Tampa Steel Conference to outline the North American steel industry's central challenges: growing pressures, tariff realignments, and the upcoming USMCA review.

The extreme cold we've seen over the last month or so might be passing. But it's still stormy out there when it comes to trade issues. The latest trade matter that’s led to more pings than usual on my phone and in my inbox: Ternium México filed a trade petition against imports of cold-rolled (CR) coil from China, Malaysia, and the United States.