On February 10 local time, US President Trump signed an executive order announcing a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imported to the United States. This decision has aroused widespread attention and strong reaction around the world. The China Iron and Steel Industry Association told a reporter from the Taiwan Taiwan today that the US move is essentially a trade protectionist act.
China Steel Industry Association stated that my country's current steel exports to the United States are relatively small. In 2024, my country's steel exports to the United States were 890,600 tons, accounting for only 0.8% of my country's total steel exports. In the short term, the impact on my country's steel exports is limited. But in the long run, the US move may lead other countries to follow suit, thereby reducing my country's steel export competitiveness.
Zhang Longqiang, deputy secretary-general of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association, said that we firmly oppose raising tariffs. This behavior is not conducive to healthy and fair trade and market competition. It is actually a kind of trade protectionism. Raising tariffs ultimately cannot protect the country's steel industry, but it may protect backwardness. In addition, from a medium- and long-term perspective, the increase in tariffs will have adverse impacts on the industrial chain and supply chain of the global steel industry, including China's steel industry.
(CCTV reporter Zhu Jiang and Wang Haoyi)
