China calls on US to withdraw import duty hike on aluminium, steel
The Chinese government on Thursday called on the US government to withdraw recent hike in import duty on aluminium and steel.
Chinese Commerce Ministry’s spokeswoman He Yongqian called the US President Donald Trump’s decision as unilateralist and protectionist behaviour.
It is worth mentioning here that Donald Trump had recently announced to impose 25 percent import tax on all aluminium and steel shipments entering the country.
Yongqian said the government has urged the US to rectify its mistakes and rejoin the multilateral trade system.
She also called for cooperation with other countries to address mutual concerns through fair and equal consultation.
“Many countries have explicitly voiced their opposition against the decision. There is also significant domestic opposition within the US against it.
In fact, as early as 2022, a World Trade Organization expert panel concluded that the US section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 violated WTO rules” the Chinese spokeswoman said.
The Section 232 tariff measure is a US trade law that allows the US president to impose tariffs or other trade restrictions on imports if they are deemed to threaten national security, according to the US Department of Commerce.
However, instead of removing the existing Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium, the US government has further increased tariffs.
The decision severely harms the interests of other countries, seriously undermining the rules-based multilateral trade system, and disrupting global supply chains, she added.
