US STEEL FIRMS URGE TARIFFS ON DEVELOPING NATIONS

摘要

A group of U.S. steel companies have asked the Bush administration to stop shielding Mexico, India, Egypt and 28 other developing countries from hefty tariffs imposed last year, industry officials said on Monday. The companies made their request in a letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Commerce Secretary Don Evans on Friday. They complained steel imports from the developing countries have surged after they were excluded from President George W. Bush's tariff order last year. Bush imposed the three-year tariff program to give the domestic industry time to restructure after a string of more than 30 bankruptcies since 1994. The duties ranged from eight to 30 per cent in ten different steel products, but will be ratcheted down in year two and three of the program.