Chile slaps tariffs on Chinese steel to bolster local mills

Chile imposed temporary anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese steel products used in the country’s mining industry in a bid to support faltering local producers. The move pushed Cap SA to reverse a decision to wind down its steel mills.

Chinese steel balls and the bars used to make them will face tariffs of 34% and 25%, respectively, over the next six months, according to a decree published Saturday in the national gazette. 

An uptick of cheap imports due to a slowdown in China’s economy is pressuring steel producers around Latin America. Earlier this month, Chilean lawmakers passed eight resolutions to urge President Gabriel Boric to defend the loss-making local industry and his economy minister said anti-dumping measures were being considered. 

Santiago-based Cap saw its stock jump after the miner said in March it was shuttering its steel operations. Seeking to support 20,000 jobs in the local industry, politicians are testing the country’s free-trade strategy and risking ire from China, the country’s top buyer of its copper. 

Following the decree, Cap said in a filing that the tariffs were in-line with measures taken globally and would allow its steel unit to remain competitive “as long as these surcharges remain in force.”