On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada announced a series of regulatory changes that would make it easier for border officials to block steel and aluminum imports into that nation. The European Union has begun a “safeguard investigation” that could result in tariffs or other trade actions if it determines that steel intended for the American market is being diverted to the bloc.
“These past few days, we’ve looked at strengthening the measures that we already have in place because it’s important that we not be taking in dumped steel from around the world,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
Foreign policymakers have long shared President Trump’s concerns about cheap foreign steel flooding their markets, particularly from China. But Trump’s stiff 25 percent steel tariffs and 10 percent aluminum tariffs, which will halt the flow of foreign metals into the United States, have prompted other countries to move more rapidly to curtail overseas imports.
The response could help Trump claim victory on one of his primary trade goals: cutting down on a glut of cheap Chinese steel, including metals that are routed through other countries through a process known as transshipping.
