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MSCI calls for federal action to address trade law violations hurting U.S. aluminum industry

Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI) has announced that R. Holman Head, vice chair of its board of directors and president/COO of O’Neal Industries, recently testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), calling for tougher government action to halt unfair and illegal trade practices, particularly by China, that have harmed the U.S. aluminum industry.

Head urged “decisive action, and continued vigilant monitoring” in a program to address dumping, predatory pricing, and currency manipulation.

“MSCI data shows that U.S. shipments of aluminum in 2015 were down nearly 20 percent since the pre-recession peak in 2006. Unfair trading practices by certain foreign governments, particularly China, whose economies are free market in name only are largely to blame for that,” Head said. “Global demand for aluminum has stagnated and declined. Meanwhile, according to U.S. government and International Aluminum Association data, the Chinese share of the global aluminum market has exploded from approximately 10 percent in 2000 to nearly 55 percent last year. China’s government-subsidized aluminum production glut, currency manipulation, and other unfair trade practices have weakened the aluminum industry.”

MSCI member service centers supply industrial metals to about 300,000 manufacturers and fabricators. Service centers purchased an estimated 2.1 billion lbs. of aluminum mill products in 2014, according to the Aluminum Association.

On behalf of MSCI, Head recommended that federal policymakers:

  1. Vigorously monitor compliance with free trade agreements and promptly take action against violators.
  2. Negotiate with trading partners directly to reduce global excess capacity.
  3. Make it a stated principal objective of U.S. trade policy to target excess capacity in countries, such as China, that increase production through market-distorting policies.
  4. Expand efforts to enforce antidumping and countervailing duties, which currently cover only aluminum extrusions.
  5. Declare that the Chinese government is a currency manipulator and immediately initiate negotiations to address the causes of the undervaluation.
  6. Resist efforts by China to be declared a market economy in the World Trade Organization, which would help insulate it from investigations and enforcement actions aimed at its unfair trade practices.