WTO Members Voice Concerns With US Section 232 Reviews Two Months Ahead of Deadlines
As the deadlines for the U.S.’s Section 232 investigations into steel and aluminum imports loom two months away, several World Trade Organization members expressed concern during a Nov. 10 meeting that affirmative findings could result in trade restrictions or retaliation, a Geneva trade official said Nov. 13. Among the attendees at the Nov. 10 meeting of the WTO Council for Trade in Goods, China said the U.S. should avoid “triggering a surge of trade barriers and refrain from negatively affecting the flow of international trade,” while the EU said it would be the most affected WTO member if Canada and Mexico were exempted from any action. Australia said the investigations should be consistent with international trade rules, lest unjustified measures spark “retaliatory measures,” the trade source said.
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The U.S. responded by saying the Commerce Department is “carefully considering” the views of all stakeholders as it prepares its Section 232 reports for President Donald Trump, and that the investigations’ purpose is to determine the effect of steel and aluminum imports on U.S. national security and whether the global excess capacity in those industries is threatening the ability of the U.S. to meet its national security needs. The deadline for the conclusion of the steel investigation is Jan. 14, and for the aluminum investigation, Jan. 22.