USTR Discusses Steel Overcapacity, China With European Counterparts
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai's conversations with her counterparts from Italy and the Netherlands addressed global overcapacity in steel, according to summaries of the video calls released April 16. The administration has suggested that Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel cannot be removed until overcapacity has been addressed, even when the countries subject to those tariffs are not dumping steel or aluminum in their exports to the U.S.
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Tai said she told Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Luigi di Maio she'd like to cooperate more closely with Italy “on the challenges posed by non-market economies such as China,” and on digital issues and World Trade Organization reform.
In the Italian government's summary, it said that de Maio told Tai he hoped the duties could be removed on steel and aluminum. He also reiterated that he welcomed the suspension of duties in the Airbus/Boeing dispute. He said that the duties on Italian exports damaged important sectors, although Italy is not a participant in the Airbus consortium. He also “expressed appreciation for the new American willingness to reach an agreement within the OECD on the taxation of digital services.”
With Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, Tai also talked about “the importance of cooperation to increase global vaccine supply by tackling production bottlenecks.”
With the Swedish foreign trade minister, Anna Hallberg, Tai said the two “agreed to coordinate on shared priorities such as climate, labor, inclusiveness, and gender equity.” Tai said she also brought up combating forced labor with Italy's foreign affairs minister.