U.S. Exempts Some Allies From Tariffs, but May Opt for Quotas
By JIM TANKERSLEY and NATALIE KITROEFFMARCH 22, 2018
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Thursday
that it would exempt some allies from stiff steel and aluminum tariffs that go into effect on Friday, but in a twist, the administration may impose import quotas to prevent too much foreign metal from flooding into the United States.
Imposing quotas would offer some help, Mr. Bell said, because without the limits, American companies would face incentives to start buying their steel from excluded countries
and domestic mills would be right back where they were pre-tariffs.
The tariff exemptions could help prevent retaliatory trade barriers
that other trading partners had threatened, including the European Union, which said it would target American exports like Florida orange juice, peanut butter and motorcycles.
The shift in strategy reflects a few chaotic weeks in which foreign governments lobbied, cajoled
and threatened Washington to win exemptions from the 25 percent tariffs on steel and the 10 percent tariffs on aluminum.
Many of the countries that were exempted are engaged in trade talks in which the United States is trying to win concessions, including Canada
and Mexico, which are in the midst of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, and South Korea, which is renegotiating its free-trade pact with the United States.