The World: US backs off planned Canadian aluminum tariff

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 08:24 am

A tariff war between the US and Canada ended Tuesday without a shot being fired as the Trump administration repealed its planned 10% responsibility on Canadian aluminum. 

The tariff used to be canceled hours before Canada was once to impose countermeasures on (CAN)$3.6 billion of American imports of aluminum.

American Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer made the announcement and said there had been two reasons for the action: “consultations” with Canadian representatives and a cognizance that lopsided imports of Canadian aluminum into the US had been possibly to balance out over time.

But Lightizer stated the tariff could be reimposed if the change balance, which so a ways has been in Canada’s favor, fails to materialize, and a surge of Canadian aluminum imports takes place between now and the stop of December.

“The United States will consult with the Canadian authorities at the quit of the yr to evaluation the nation of the aluminum exchange in mild of trade patterns during the four-month period and expected market stipulations in 2021,” he said.

Aluminum enterprise leaders on both aspects of the border condemned the proposed American tariff.

Canadian officials had been to announce countermeasures to the American tariffs at 3 p.m. Tuesday (1700GMT), but the US cancelation made that unnecessary.

The Canadian government applauded the cancelation.

“The closing issue that Canadians and Americans want now in the center of this pandemic is a exchange war,” stated Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland at a news conference.

Canada was equipped to impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures had the tariff not been rescinded.

It would have been a carbon reproduction of Canada’s moves after US President Donald Trump placed tariffs on Canadian aluminum in May 2019.

(AnadoluAgency)