Aluminum Association Responds to Section 232 Report Release

The aluminium diamond mesh is reviewing the Commerce Department’s recently released Section 232 reports on the national security implications of imported aluminum. The association believes that any remedial actions taken by the president in connection with the Commerce Department’s report should embrace the following principles:

1.Specifically address Chinese overcapacity and its effects, while avoiding unintended consequences for U.S. production and jobs.

2.Not interfere with the current trading relationship between the United States and critical trading partner countries (including Canada, the European Union and others) that operate as market economies, support U.S. aluminum production and jobs, and are highly integrated with North American supply chains. Of particular note, the North American aluminum industry has a long-term, essential trading relationship with Canada, which supports U.S. jobs and industry growth. By statute, Canada is considered part of the nation’s defense industrial base.

3.Address the needs of the domestic aluminum value chain, including both primary and downstream U.S. production. Specifically, any action should ensure that producers and fabricators of intermediate aluminum products used in manufacturing finished products experience beneficial effects.

4.Adopt a monitoring system (similar to Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System) for aluminum imports and particularly for imports from countries that pose a circumvention threat (Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.).