Steel

The Administration works to address trade policy concerns related to the global steel sector through initiatives such as the U.S.-China Steel

Dialogue under the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), activities in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Steel Committee, and cooperation with North American governments and steel industries through the North American Steel Trade Committee (NASTC).

The Administration also continues to raise specific concerns with other countries bilaterally, at the OECD, and in WTO meetings about policies that contribute to excess steel capacity and production, including subsidies, border measures on steel and steelmaking raw materials, and other trade-distorting practices.

In 2008, the United States continued its cooperative JCCT steel dialogue with China regarding subsidies, capacity, and trade issues. The JCCT steel dialogue is led by USTR and the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) on the U.S. side and by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on the Chinese side.

The fourth steel dialogue meeting took place in Beijing in October 2008, and included the participation of industry representatives from both countries in addition to representatives of USTR, the U.S. Department of Commerce, MOFCOM, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and China's Ministry of Finance.

In the steel dialogue and in other fora, U.S. officials have continued to voice concerns regarding various policies of the Chinese government, including restrictions on the export of steelmaking raw materials and polices such as border taxes that promote the production and export of value-added steel products and other downstream products.

OECD Steel Committee

The United States has supported efforts by the OECD Secretariat to reach out to developing steelmaking economies, including participation in a major conference hosted by the OECD in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December 2008, to discuss the volatile markets in steelmaking raw materials and government policies that may affect access to those raw materials.

Other recent topics discussed at the OECD Steel Committee are governments' policies to address global climate change and the potential impact on trade and competitiveness in carbon-intensive manufacturing sectors, including the steel sector.

North American Steel Trade Committee (NASTC)

The governments and steel industries of North America continue their wide-ranging work to seek common policy approaches for enhancing the competitiveness of North American steel producers.

The governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico have worked together within the NASTC to develop coordinated positions on issues in multilateral settings of importance to steel, including the OECD Steel Committee and the WTO Rules Negotiations.

Within the mandate of the NASTC, the three countries' governments and steel industries have been tracking developments in certain steel producing countries to identify and address, as appropriate, distortions in the global steel market and submitted joint comments to the Chinese government on China's proposed changes to its steel industrial policies.

The Administration also continued working with the governments of Canada and Mexico to enhance the steel import monitoring systems maintained by all three NAFTA partners as well as the joint NAFTA Steel Monitor through follow-up efforts arising from the 2008 NAFTA Licensing Best Practices Summit.

In addition, the NASTC industries issued a joint paper entitled "The Border Story," identifying potential impediments to intra-NAFTA steel trade in the three countries, particularly with respect to border infrastructure, regulations, customs practices, and licensing procedures.

Related Links (U.S. Government):

Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System (Department of Commerce)
U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)
Customs and Border Protection (Priority Trade Issues)
Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance
United States International Trade Commission

Related links (Plurilateral and Multilateral Organizations):

North American Steel Trade Committee (NASTC)
OECD Steel Committee
WTO Doha Rules Negotiations

Related Links (Industry and Labor Groups):

Alliance for American Manufacturing
American Iron and Steel Institute
American Institute for International Steel
American Wire Producers Association
Cold Finished Steel Bar Institute
Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries
Metals Service Center Institute
Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association
National Association of Manufacturers
Precision Metalforming Association
Specialty Steel Industry of North America
Steel Manufacturers' Association
United Steelworkers
World Steel Association