Punitive tariffs hitting British steel could be avoided by ‘concerted’ global action to halt Chinese steel dumping, a top industry figure has said.
Sir Andrew Cook says US tariffs and devastating new levies announced last week by the EU, hitting UK producers, would be unnecessary if action was taken against Beijing.
On Tuesday, the EU doubled tariffs on steel imports to 50 per cent in a shock move that British steelmakers warned would ‘devastate’ the industry.
The bloc’s protectionism, after the loss of 18,000 steel jobs across the continent last year, follows the US-imposed 25 per cent levies on UK steel.
Feeling the heat: Punitive tariffs hitting British steel could be avoided by ‘concerted’ global action to halt Chinese steel dumping
Chinese steel dumping, driving down global wholesale values and making Western forges uncompetitive, is a big factor behind the new tariffs.
‘If China was excluded we wouldn’t need tariffs against other nations,’ Sir Andrew said. ‘The fundamental problem is Chinese dumping and not enough is being done about it.’
The William Cook boss said Western states were behaving like ‘the little bullies ganging up on each other and ignoring the big bully’ which was China.
The Government said there were 17 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures on specific steel imports, 12 against China, and it was consulting on further safeguards.
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