Semi-fabricated aluminum products imported into the US rose by 4pc last year to the detriment of domestic production, which declined by 3pc, according to a letter sent to US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, from the Aluminum Association.
According to Tom Dobbins, the association’s president and chief executive officer, while antidumping and countervailing duty cases have effectively curtailed unfairly traded flat-rolled aluminum product imports from China into the US, there are problems with how Sec 232 is applied. Semi-fabricated aluminum product imports for example were exempt from the tariffs, which hurt domestic output.
The association has called for stringent import monitoring in North America because it can stifle unfair trading from around the world—although Canada and the US have been proactive, Mexico hasn’t, which Dobbins fears could indirectly lead to subsidized aluminum overcapacity from China finding its way into the US.
The letter marked the one-year anniversary of the US repealing Sec 232 tariffs on North American aluminum, of which the Aluminum Association says the US is highly dependent.