The US has set the stage for a global showdown over steel, launching a national security probe that could lead to sweeping tariffs on steel imports in what would be the first significant act of protectionism by President Donald Trump.
The decision to use a 1962 law allowing the US government to limit imports that threaten security readiness is intended to deliver on Mr Trump’s campaign promise to bolster heavy industry and “put new American steel into the spine of this country”, officials said.
But it risks setting off trade tensions with China just days after Mr Trump avoided another conflict by backing down on a promise to label Beijing a currency manipulator, citing in part its help in dealing with North Korea.