US excludes EU, 6 others from steel import duties

President Donald Trumphastemporarilyexcluded six countries, including Canada and Mexico, and European Union states from higher US import duties on steel and aluminium meant to come into effect on Friday.

In a presidential proclamation published late on Thursday, Trump said he would suspend tariffs for Argentina, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, the US’s biggest trading partner, until May 1, 2018 as discussions continue.

After May 1, Trump would decide whether to permanently exempt the countries based on the status of talks, the White House said in a statement.

The United States was set to begin imposing the higher import duties of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium, mainly aimed at curbing imports from China, as of 12.01 am EST on Friday.

“I have determined that the necessary and appropriate means to address the threat to the national security posed by imports from steel articles from these countries is to continue these discussions and to exempt steel articles imports from these countries from the tariff, at least at this time,” according to Trump’s proclamation released by the White House.

It said countries not on the list could discuss with Washington ways to address US national security concerns caused by imports of steel from that country.

Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the EU would respond firmly if the United States did not exempt European steel and aluminum.

The European Commission had proposed that if US tariffs were applied the bloc would challenge them at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

WASHINGTON:US