Posted on 25 Sep 2026
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) is calling on President Donald Trump to raise the issue of steel exports from China and subsidies for the industry during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This is stated in a letter from the organisation.
In a letter to the President dated 22 September, Kevin Dempsey, President and Chief Executive of the AISI, noted that China’s policies had contributed to the emergence of a global crisis of excess steel production capacity. The organisation insists on the need to halt the growth in exports of surplus steel and the massive state subsidies to Chinese industry, which have caused the global crisis.
According to the OECD, global excess steel production capacity could rise to 745 million tonnes by 2028. In 2025, China accounted for almost half of all global steel production capacity. Against a backdrop of falling domestic demand, Chinese steel exports reached 131 million tonnes, equivalent to the total consumption of the whole of North America.
The AISI noted that, thanks to the Section 232 tariffs, the US steel industry is recovering: last year, the US overtook Japan to take third place in the world in terms of steel production. The organisation is calling for these tariffs to be maintained, along with the Section 301 duties, and for new restrictions to be introduced following the findings of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) ongoing investigations.
In addition to the steel industry, the AISI warns of a threat to the automotive sector. Surplus Chinese steel is being exported in the form of finished cars, which is already leading to job losses in the global automotive industry. It is expected that by 2026, car exports from China could reach 12 million units.
As reported by GMK Center, the US authorities have approached the Mexican government with a proposal to introduce import duties on steel and aluminium from countries outside North America (following the model of the US Section 232 regulations), in order to restrict imports from China.
Source:GMK Center
