Steel

Questions remain after Aluminum Caucus meets with Ross on Section 232 tariffs

Members of the Congressional Aluminum Caucus on Wednesday pressed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on the Section 232 tariff exclusion process and urged him to exempt key allies, leaving some lawmakers with more questions than answers. “We have a long way to go,” Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) told Inside U.S. Trade. The U.S. on April 30 extended aluminum and steel tariff exclusions for Canada, Mexico and the European Union by one month while agreeing in principle to arrangements with...

ITC terminates Section 337 investigation brought by U.S. Steel

The U.S. International Trade Commission last week terminated the Section 337 case brought by U.S. Steel against Chinese steel manufacturers, officially ending a two-year investigation into alleged unfair trade practices. The antitrust claim, in which the company accused Chinese steel producers of fixing prices and controlling steel output, was terminated by the Commission last month after the ITC tossed U.S. Steel's transshipment claim last November. The company's third claim -- accusing Chinese steel company Baosteel of receiving and acting upon...

Alleging safeguard, MFN violations, China challenges U.S. 232 tariffs at WTO

China on Tuesday took the first step in initiating a legal challenge of the U.S.’ tariffs on steel and aluminum at the World Trade Organization, calling into question the validity of U.S. claims that the tariffs were imposed for national security reasons. China said in a previous consultation request under the Safeguards Agreement that the tariffs amounted to safeguard measures “in the name of national security,” while the U.S. contends the tariffs cannot be challenged because they were imposed for...

Senators press Lighthizer over potential retaliation for Trump trade moves

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer came under fire Thursday from Senate Finance Committee members on both sides of the aisle about the retaliation the U.S. could face due to the impending Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs as well as trade and investment restrictions on China stemming from USTR's Section 301 investigation. Lighthizer pushed back by telling the senators that the administration was taking a nuanced approach to its trade actions and saying it understands U.S. agriculture is likely to...

House Steel Caucus seeks more details on 232 country exclusion process

Congressional Steel Caucus leaders plan to send the administration a letter seeking more details on the criteria the U.S. will use to determine which countries could be excluded from Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, arguing that such exclusions require consultation and should be narrowly focused. “The overabundance [of steel] that comes [into the U.S.] comes from China through other countries and that’s what we’ve got to be very, very careful of as we let these countries off...

ITC terminates 337 antitrust claim against Chinese steel manufacturers

The U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday terminated the final claim brought by U.S. Steel in a two-year-long Section 337 investigation against Chinese steel manufacturers, giving the ITC the option of imposing remedies on any defaulting respondents in the probe. The antitrust claim was the last active piece of the case after the ITC tossed U.S. Steel's trans-shipment claim last November. The company's third claim -- accusing Baosteel of receiving and acting upon trade secrets stolen from U.S. Steel by...

Global forum data-sharing process still unclear; 232 tariffs dominate discussion

The first 2018 meeting of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity, which concluded in Paris earlier this month, left sources wondering about its future, including data-sharing processes and whether Section 232 tariffs imposed by the U.S. would impact its effectiveness. “The global steel forum continues to be an important way to try to deal with structural excess capacity issues and state-sponsored expansion; however, we are at a point where we need to see some more progress,” a source with...

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