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Trump administration seeks duties on Chinese aluminum foil imports
THE Trump administration seeks to levy duties on imports of aluminum foil from China, claiming that state subsidies for the domestic industry unfairly disadvantage US manufacturers.
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the "affirmative preliminary determination" following an investigation into the practices of Chinese producers of aluminium foil. Subsidies of up to 81 per cent were found to be in place, according to a fact sheet released on the department's website, reported Bloomberg News.
If carried out, the duties could ramp up trade tension between the world's two largest economies, as efforts by US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart to begin reducing the US trade deficit have borne little fruit.
Mr Trump has floated the prospect of a formal investigation into China's alleged intellectual property abuse and threatened tariffs on steel.
"The United States is committed to free, fair and reciprocal trade, and will continue to validate the information provided to us that brought us to this decision," Mr Ross was cited as saying in the statement. "The Trump administration will not stand idly by as harmful trade practices from foreign nations attempt to take advantage of our essential industries, workers, and businesses."
The decision is still to be confirmed by a final department ruling by October and a determination by the US International Trade Commission. US Customs and Border Protection will be instructed to collect cash deposits based on the preliminary rates for aluminum foil being imported.
"Aluminum has become a hot spot in China-US trade in recent years, as Chinese output of aluminum products has surged a lot, and its exports increased very fast, which has raised eyebrows from trading partners," said Prof Yang Rongzhen at the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
"This is just one of several cases the US has launched, but it is still within the normal trade frictions. I wouldn't say this is a trade war," he said.
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the "affirmative preliminary determination" following an investigation into the practices of Chinese producers of aluminium foil. Subsidies of up to 81 per cent were found to be in place, according to a fact sheet released on the department's website, reported Bloomberg News.
If carried out, the duties could ramp up trade tension between the world's two largest economies, as efforts by US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart to begin reducing the US trade deficit have borne little fruit.
Mr Trump has floated the prospect of a formal investigation into China's alleged intellectual property abuse and threatened tariffs on steel.
"The United States is committed to free, fair and reciprocal trade, and will continue to validate the information provided to us that brought us to this decision," Mr Ross was cited as saying in the statement. "The Trump administration will not stand idly by as harmful trade practices from foreign nations attempt to take advantage of our essential industries, workers, and businesses."
The decision is still to be confirmed by a final department ruling by October and a determination by the US International Trade Commission. US Customs and Border Protection will be instructed to collect cash deposits based on the preliminary rates for aluminum foil being imported.
"Aluminum has become a hot spot in China-US trade in recent years, as Chinese output of aluminum products has surged a lot, and its exports increased very fast, which has raised eyebrows from trading partners," said Prof Yang Rongzhen at the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
"This is just one of several cases the US has launched, but it is still within the normal trade frictions. I wouldn't say this is a trade war," he said.
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