JOHANNESBURG, March (ANA) - The South African government on Friday said that it has noted the announcement by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, that he has signed proclamations to impose stringent tariffs on steel imports to be implemented from March 23.
Trump signed proclamations to impose a 10 percent ad valorem tariff on aluminium articles and a 25 percent ad valorem tariff on steel articles in a bid to protect his country's steel industry and jobs.
The US government said that it will consider specific requests from affected domestic parties to exclude from any adopted import restrictions those steel articles for which the Secretary of Commerce determines there is a lack of sufficient US production capacity of comparable products.
Trump's government said it would also consider specific requests to exclude steel articles from such restrictions for specific national security-based considerations.
The proclamations make a provision for any country with which the US has a security relationship to discuss with the US, alternative ways to address the threatened impairment of the national security caused by imports from that country.
Should the US and that country arrive at a satisfactory alternative means to address the threat to the national security, the Trump may remove or modify the restriction on steel articles imports from that country and, if necessary, make any corresponding adjustments to the tariff as it applies to other countries as the national security interests require.
In addition, the US Secretary of Commerce is expected to publish the appeal process for US buyers to apply for exclusion within 10 days.
The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) said that government is studying the proclamations and its implications for the domestic industry in South Africa.
South Africa's exports to the US on steel amounted to U.S.$950 million in 2017 and accounted for 1.4 percent of U.S.'s global imports while exports were U.S.$375 million in 2017, accounting for 1.6 percent of US imports from all global suppliers.
"It is clear that South Africa's exports do not impose a threat to US industry and jobs. The South African exports are in some cases used as inputs into further processes in the US manufacturing sector thus, in fact, contributing to US jobs and production," the dti said in a statement.
"The Department of Trade and Industry is fully engaged with the matter and continues to have discussions with the US on this issue. A formal submission will also be made to the US as is provided for in the proclamations."
- African News Agency (ANA)
