Aluminum Association steps up on trade

The U.S. aluminium industry is working through multiple channels to address China’s production overcapacity and resulting glut in the global market. The “China Trade Task Force,” a cooperative effort between smelter Century Aluminum and the United Steelworkers, has been the face of the drive to slow imports of cheap Chinese product, which is undercutting U.S. prices. But now the Aluminum Association has broken its silence.

China is “not slowing down their run-up in capacity,” Charles Johnson, the Aluminum Association’s vice president for policy, told in a recent interview. “We believe we have to get to the underlying issue.” The group is working toward the overall goal having the U.S. negotiate an agreement with Beijing to cut back production for which there is no demand.

Meanwhile, the group helped push key lawmakers to request the U.S. International Trade Commission investigate how the global aluminium market is affecting U.S. production. The industry association also persuaded Customs and Border Protection to reverse tariff reclassifications that Chinese producers use to conceal exports of minimally processed primary aluminium in order to avoid a 15 percent tariff and capture a value-added tax rebate. The group is also working to get clarification on this issue at the World Customs Organization, Johnson said.