China Iron and Steel Industry Association and China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association issued a statement on the WTO ruling that the US steel aluminum 232 tariff violated WTO rules

China’s iron and steel industry and aluminum industries have always focused on meeting domestic demand and achieving high-quality development. China’s exports of steel and aluminum products to the United States account for a small proportion and quantity. The trade and cooperation between the industries of the two countries are based on the strong complementarity between the steel and aluminum industries of the United States and China and is fully based on the principle of fair marketization. It not only does no harm to the United States but also benefits downstream customers and promotes the development of relevant fields in the United States. Since 2010, China’s steel and aluminum industries have begun to eliminate outdated production capacity, and since 2016, they have implemented supply-side structural reform to significantly reduce steel and electrolytic aluminum production capacity. Up to now, China’s steel and aluminum industry has been strictly controlling new production capacity and has also set a production capacity ceiling. The reform has achieved remarkable results, effectively promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the world’s steel and aluminum industry.

Since March 23, 2018, the United States has imposed tariffs of 25% and 10% on imported steel and aluminum products to safeguard national security. Due to the violation of WTO rules, this measure was not only opposed by many WTO members but also widely criticized in the United States.

The ruling of the WTO expert group strictly proves that the United States, in the name of national security, practices unilateralism and protectionism, and has seriously damaged the rule-based multilateral trading system. China’s steel industry and aluminum industry hopes that the US side will respect the panel’s ruling and WTO rules, correct the illegal measures as soon as possible, eliminate the 232 tariffs, work with China to create a good international steel and aluminum trade environment and order, and jointly maintain the multilateral trade system.