Thailand urges U.S. to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum

[webfact]

Thailand urges U.S. to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum

 

 

BANGKOK, 3 August 2018 (NNT)-Deputy Commerce Minister Chutima Bunyapraphasara met her American counterpart this week, to discuss the possibility of maintaining Thailand’s eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) trade preference program. 

The Deputy Commerce Minister met with her U.S. counterpart Honorable Gilbert B. Kaplan and the Deputy United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jeffrey D. Gerrish, during her trip to the U.S. to urge them to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Thailand. 

Chutima claimed aluminum and steel imports from Thailand account for less than 1% and don't have any significant impact on the steel and aluminum industries in America. The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on imported aluminum. 

The Deputy Commerce Minister also defended Thailand during discussions, after the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) launched a petition with the Office of the United States Trade Representative to review Thailand’ eligibility in the GSP trade preference program. 

The AFL-CIO accused Thailand of failing to meet International Labour Organization (ILO)’s labour standards while the NPPC claimed Thailand unfairly banned pork products from the U.S. Chutima said relevant labour laws in Thailand are now being amended and modernized to meet the ILO’s requirements. The laws will be enforced this year. 

America is Thailand’s 3rd largest trading partner after China and Japan. Thailand exported products worth 26 billion dollars to the U.S. while imports from the U.S accounted for 14 billion dollars last year.

 

-- nnt 2018-08-03

[SABloke]

51 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand account for less than 1% and don't have any significant impact on the steel and aluminum industries in America.

So what? You're part of the same team that puts a 60% tariff on Maple syrup, for example, but there is no local industry that is affected at all. Can't have it both ways. ?

Edited August 2, 2018 by SABloke

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The laws will be enforced this year.

uh huh; to be repeated next jan 1

[rkidlad]

I used to buy a boxed wine here called ‘Mar Sol’. It was 799 baht for 3 litres. Then the wine disappeared. It’s now back in the form of a bag. It’s  749 baht for 2 litres. Oh, it’s not even really wine. More like alcoholic grape juice. I’ve noticed wine just getting ridiculously more and more expensive. 

 

Tit for tat, I say. It’s supposed to be a trade deal. 

[yellowboat]

Looks like there is blatant room for improvement on the Thai side, at least in the order of several billion.  Thailand is in no position to ask for favors anymore. 

[barefootbangkok]

4 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

Looks like there is blatant room for improvement on the Thai side, at least in the order of several billion.  Thailand is in no position to ask for favors anymore. 

If tariffs on pork, wine, maple syrup and other goods are reduced, likely that most companies will keep the difference because we foreigners are used to high prices.

It's all about money  here.  Fair play is a negotiable commodity.

[ozziedave007]

Lets talk about wine and Big Bikes and Sports cars shall we.......

[Nickymaster]

Trump's tariffs are a joke and only hurt US companies.  I tried to buy steel from the US (for a US project) in the past and it was impossible. 

 

-They couldn't make the right spec

-They couldn't ship it to anywere (had to pick it up at the mill)

-Prices were very high for what they could make

-Lead time was very very long

 

Even when I needed US spec steel for a US project, the US could not supply the steel. I contacted Samsung in Korea and the could do it all, including shipment to Thailand within 3 months for a very good price.

 

And Trump is trying to protect those mills....... 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Nickymaster

[MaxYakov]

4 hours ago, SABloke said:

So what? You're part of the same team that puts a 60% tariff on Maple syrup, for example, but there is no local industry that is affected at all. Can't have it both ways. ?

Don't forget the ice cream!

[digger70]

Well they are only doing what the Thais are doing ,,,The thais reaping  something shocking what they can from all the Imports into Thailand. Maybe if they were not so Greedy they would get a better deal.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) launched a petition with the Office of the United States Trade Representative to review Thailand’ eligibility in the GSP trade preference program. 

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

the NPPC claimed Thailand unfairly banned pork products from the U.S.

Thailand fails to meet the GSP criterion requiring countries to provide “equitable and reasonable access” to its market. The NPPC alleges that Thailand maintains an array of import restrictions on U.S. pork, including a ban on uncooked pork and offal products and a ban on imports of pork produced with ractopamine.

http://customstrade.asia/2018/05/18/us-undertakes-review-of-thailands-gsp-eligibility/

Yet, Thailand allows a cocktail of fertilizers and toxic pesticides for use in its agricultural sector.

http://www.organicphuket.com/chemical-pesticides/

[hotchilli]

Only if you lift the 10X normal price tariff on foreigners entering national parks !!!!

[pmarlin]

Competition is not allowed here. A company here makes a cheap  inferior  product is protected and a superior version  that is imported it has a heavy import tax or blocked. It's hard to find any thing of quality here.

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on imported aluminum.

Maybe Trump will blink like he did with the Russians in April.

Trump Administration Eases Sanctions on Russian Metal Giant

"it now appears that the sanctions against Rusal may never actually take effect. On Monday, the Treasury Department extended the sanctions’ “wind down” period — a window in which U.S. and foreign entities could complete their unfinished business with Rusal without facing any penalty — by six months, while expressing openness to lifting the sanctions entirely." 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/trump-administration-eases-sanctions-on-russian-metal-giant.html

[MaxYakov]

3 hours ago, ozziedave007 said:

Lets talk about wine and Big Bikes and Sports cars shall we.......

Why not? We're all alcoholics with a death wish here.

[grollies]

It's something to do with getting rid of tinpot waste after the next election.

[uncleeagle]

300% on imported wine...in fact just about all impoted goods are taxed hugely...so how about playing fair on that stuff first?

[overherebc]

5 hours ago, barefootbangkok said:

If tariffs on pork, wine, maple syrup and other goods are reduced, likely that most companies will keep the difference because we foreigners are used to high prices.

It's all about money  here.  Fair play is a negotiable commodity.

A rare commodity.

[Cake Monster]

Looking at all the large trucks that are moving raw billet steel from the smelters, around the Eastern Seaboard, I would hazard a guess that the Steel comes in to Laem Chabang Port, and is then moved around the various Rolling Mills, and then again Exported.

I wonder where all the Raw Billet Steel comes from ?.

Maybe Thailand is acting as a " Hub " to roll out the Steel on behalf of a large neighbour in order to try and avoid the Tarriffs imposed by the US.

Just speculating

[chama]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

America is Thailand’s 3rd largest trading partner after China and Japan. Thailand exported products worth 26 billion dollars to the U.S. while imports from the U.S accounted for 14 billion dollars last year.

And this is the reason the tariffs won't be lifted. The American President is insisting on balanced trade and the Thais don't want what America is selling. More work will be required.

[amdy2206]

I am sure the US will take notice of the Thai request. As always, Thais think they are the centre of the universe and their comments count. Dream on!!!

[ericthai]

9 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

Looking at all the large trucks that are moving raw billet steel from the smelters, around the Eastern Seaboard, I would hazard a guess that the Steel comes in to Laem Chabang Port, and is then moved around the various Rolling Mills, and then again Exported.

I wonder where all the Raw Billet Steel comes from ?.

Maybe Thailand is acting as a " Hub " to roll out the Steel on behalf of a large neighbour in order to try and avoid the Tarriffs imposed by the US.

Just speculating

Its made i  thailand, Thailand has several steel mills.

[Chris Lawrence]

More money going out than coming back. The US are using the Chinese franchise except adopting a new model. You pay. 

[TumblinDice]

Charge Americans 25% more on everything, flights to/from Thailand, visas, hotels, everything that they have to show their passport/id for. 

Give it to the Americans hard enough so that they finally do something to get rid of that disgusting orange slob in the WH.

[Snow Leopard]

3 hours ago, ericthai said:

Its made i  thailand, Thailand has several steel mills.

 

Imports of steel...are mostly of intermediate products bound for Thai factories for further processing. The five most important categories of imports are billet and slab, hot and cold rolled steel, coated steel, rebar and structural steel, and scrap. These are typically imported for use as inputs into the production of other intermediate and finished products. China and Japan are the leading exporters of steel products to Thailand, with Chinese goods usually being long products, including a variety of types of steel bars and rebar. This is because Chinese imports are cheaper than their Thai competitors; in 2016, Chinese rebar and steel sheet was around 30% cheaper than Thai alternatives.

Exports of steel…are expanding in the CLM region as investment in infrastructure picks up. The five most important categories of steel exports are rebar and structural steel, scrap, steel piping, pre-engineered structures and parts, and hot and cold rolled steel. The largest export area is the CLM zone, which consumes Thai rebar and structural steel in its infrastructure and property sectors. In addition, due to favorable costs and the quality of installation, both Australia and Japan purchase steel piping and pre-engineered structures (including, for example, buildings and bridges) from Thailand.

[elephant45]

I love paying triple + for any foods that farangs like, wine, cheese, olive oil you name It, totally unfair. And where does that extra money go? into the pockets of the rich. Money goes one way here.

[uncleeagle]

39 minutes ago, elephant45 said:

I love paying triple + for any foods that farangs like, wine, cheese, olive oil you name It, totally unfair. And where does that extra money go? into the pockets of the rich. Money goes one way here.

a lot is also just import duty, like 300 % on wine...a lot of imported goods are heavily taxed throughout asia, far more than the taxes the west imposes on imports from asia etc. but thailand has gone much further than any other asian country, to my knowledge. for example, imported wine is a lot more expensive in thailand than either malaysia or singapore. trump has a point.

Edited August 4, 2018 by uncleeagle