Trade tensions emerge early in Trump 2.0 with tariff threats on China, Mexico and Canada; aluminium industry on edge

At the dawn of the new presidential era on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump announced his intent to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese product imports, including aluminium, as early as February 1. Following the news, the three-month aluminium price on the London Metal Exchange decreased by 0.9 per cent to US$2,611 per tonne, feeling the pressure of trade tensions.

On his second day in office, the US President called for an investigation into US-China trade to assess potential penalties on Chinese goods. Previously, he had threatened China with a 60 per cent tariff on imports but later adjusted his proposal to a 10 per cent duty, despite which China's blue-chip CSI 300 index and the Shanghai Composite index closed nearly 1 per cent lower, representing the highest fall in nearly two weeks. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index also demoted 1.8 per cent following the news.
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