Trump orders investigation into aluminum imports

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing his Commerce Secretary to investigate whether aluminum dumping by countries like China and Russia are jeopardising US national security.
"The American aluminum industry has been severely damaged by unfair foreign trade. Cheap subsidised foreign imports have flooded into the market, destroying thousands of great American jobs, jobs that are no longer," Trump said at the executive order signing ceremony yesterday.
He asked his Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to investigate the impact of aluminum import, given that it is significantly used in critical defence industry manufacturing.
"Today I'm calling on Secretary Ross to prioritise the investigation he initiated yesterday into whether foreign aluminum imports are jeopardising our national security, and to submit a report setting forth his findings," he said.

"Based on those findings, Secretary Ross will make formal recommendations to the White House for what to do about the problem, and whether or not we do tariffs or taxes or something else to get our aluminum business going again," Trump said.
The metal is in high demand in the US defence industry, particular for building high-tech planes like F-35, F-16 and C-17 and in the armor-plating of military vehicles.

"We cannot afford in these dangerous times to become dependent on foreign nations for the aluminum that our military relies on," the US President said.
"Today, we're sending another clear signal to the world: we will fight for American jobs for American workers, and we will fight always for the American dream of bringing it back...," Trump said.

In a statement, the White House said while American manufacturing of aluminum suffers and shuts down, foreign imports continue to pour into the country.
In 2016, aluminum imports into the US increased by 18 per cent while American production fell by 47 per cent.
Of the eight aluminum smelters based in the US at the beginning of 2016, seven have either shutdown, reduced production, or are idled, it said.
China, the world's top producer and consumer of the metal, is expected to be the worst hit by this executive action.
From 2012 to 2015, imports of semi-fabricated aluminum from China grew by 183 per cent, the White House said.

"Imports of aluminum foil from China have grown from zero per cent of the United States market in 2004 to 22 per cent today. Employment in the aluminum industry fell by nearly 13 per cent from 2015 to 2016," it said.
The White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, said the American aluminum industry is in trouble.
"Having declined down to the lowest levels of aluminum that we've produced since 1952. It is critical for our national defences -- the Army ground vehicles and the Air Force jets, the Navy warships," he told reporters at his daily news conference.
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced an investigation into aluminum imports. The investigation mirrors a probe the Commerce Department launched last week focusing on the steel industry.

The Commerce Department has 270 days to investigate the issue and draft its findings after consulting with the Pentagon. The president then will have 90 days to decide whether to take any actions, which could include high tariffs on aluminum imports.