US President Donald Trump has raised steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 percent from 25 percent, following through on a pledge to boost US import taxes to help domestic manufacturers.
Trump cast the move, which took effect yesterday, as necessary to protect national security.
An order signed on Tuesday said the previous charge had “not yet enabled” domestic industries “to develop and maintain the rates of capacity production utilization that are necessary for the industries’ sustained health and for projected national defense needs.”
Photo: AFP
“Increasing the previously imposed tariffs will provide greater support to these industries and reduce or eliminate the national security threat posed by imports of steel and aluminum articles and their derivative articles,” according to the directive, which the White House posted on social media.
Metal charges on imports from the UK would remain at the previous 25 percent rate to allow the two to work on new levies or quotas by a July 9 deadline, the order said.
Trump’s latest levy is fanning trade tensions at a time when the US is locked in negotiations with numerous trading partners over his so-called “reciprocal” duties. The Trump administration had asked nations to submit their best offers on trade talks by yesterday.
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has sent letters to trading partners to remind them of an upcoming deadline in tariff negotiations, the White House said.
“I can confirm the merits in the content of the letter,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.
“USTR sent this letter to all of our trading partners, just to give them a friendly reminder that the deadline is coming up, and they are in talks,” she said. “The president expects good deals, and we are on track for that.”
In Taipei, the government on Tuesday said that it was continuing to “communicate closely” with the US government on tariff talks, but could not give more information at this point due to a tacit agreement between the two sides.
“If there is any progress, it will be made known to the public in due course,” the Executive Yuan said in comments sent to Reuters, without giving details.
Trump is also tipped by the White House to have a telephone call later this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), after the two sides accused each other of breaching the terms of an agreement last month to roll back some tariffs.
However, Trump said in a late-night social media post that Xi was very tough to make a deal with, raising questions about whether a fragile economic truce between the world’s two largest economies would hold.
A key sticking point for direct leader-level talks appears to be critical minerals. US officials have accused Beijing of continuing to choke off access to rare earths, despite Washington’s decision to reduce tariffs last month hinging on China lifting such controls.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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