Biden Administration Official Says U.S. Looking For New Tools To Address Circumvention
As Connecting the Dots reported last week, the United States and the European Union (EU) announced an agreement to address the United States’ Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the EU and to develop a long-term plan that applies pressure on exporters of carbon-intensive steel.
Two days after the EU announcement, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told steel industry representatives that the Biden administration supports updating U.S. trade laws to combat circumvention of existing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties and adding tools that are specifically aimed at addressing subsidized Chinese investment in steel production elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
While Ambassador Tai did not offer any additional details or specific proposals, she said, “We just need more tools and they need to fit the purpose. Because the tools that we have, we know how they can be effective and we know where the limitations are.”