US refuses to exempt SA from steel and aluminium duties
Trade and industry minister Rob Davies says the government remains engaged with the US and continues to request a country exemption
The government says it will continue to lobby the US for the exemption of its steel and aluminium from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump earlier in 2018. In a bid to protect the steel industry in the US, Trump signed a proclamation in March imposing a 10% tariff on imports of aluminium and a 25% tariff on imported steel. The US excluded countries such as Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and the entire EU from the new duties. SA has been asking for a similar exemption since then and the US has been refusing. The tariffs, which will result in the displacement of SA's products in the US market, aggravated the problems of South African producers in grappling with excess capacity and weak demand. According to trade and industry minister Rob Davies, SA’s exports to the US did not pose a threat to that country’s steel and aluminium industries because they accounted for 1%-2% of total US imports.
In July, the Department of Trade and Industry said compa...
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