WHICH NATIONS WILL DODGE TARIFF? ANSWERS IN APRIL

WASHINGTON» The Trump administration will decide by the end of April which countries will be spared from steep taxes on steel and aluminum imports.

U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer on Wednesday told the House Ways and Means Committee some countries won’t have to pay the tariffs, which take effect Friday, while they negotiate exemptions.

President Donald Trump has imposed tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum, saying that relying on foreign metals jeopardizes U.S. national security. He exempted Canada and Mexico from the tariffs, provided they reach an agreement to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Lighthizer said the administration is also negotiating tariff exemptions with the European Union, South Korea, Argentina and Australia and expects to begin talks with Brazil.

The Commerce Department is separately reviewing companies’ request for relief from the tariffs if, for example, the steel or aluminum they need is not produced in the United States.

The deadline for the metals tariffs comes just as the administration prepares to slap big tariffs and impose investment restrictions on Friday on China for strong-arming U.S. companies into handing over technology. It says theft of intellectual property is one reason for the United States’ massive trade deficit with China in goods: $375 billion last year.