Biden takes aim at China with new steel, aluminum tariffs

By Hannah Northey | 07/10/2024 01:30 PM EDT

“We know Beijing is using countries like Mexico to dodge U.S. tariffs, including duties specifically put into place to deter China’s massive industrial overcapacity,” said a steel and manufacturing industry leader.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the 75th anniversary of NATO at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Tuesday in Washington. The Biden administration is imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico that were made elsewhere. Evan Vucci/AP

President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled new tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from Mexico, another move the administration is taking ahead of the November election to block China from U.S. markets and evolving supply chains.

Under a proclamation signed by Biden, no tariffs will be imposed on steel imported from Mexico that is “melted and poured” in Canada, Mexico or the U.S. If steel imports don’t meet that threshold, they will be subject to a 25 percent duty under the “232 tariffs.”

Biden took a similar position on aluminum imports in a separate proclamation, which states that duties will be imposed on aluminum imports from Mexico that are smelted or cast in countries of concern, including China, Russia, Belarus or Iran. Imports that don’t meet that threshold will face a 10 percent duty.

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The language unveiled Wednesday requiring the tariffs was not originally included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which was negotiated by the Trump administration and enacted in 2020. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the administration’s tariff announcement.

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