China to raise import tariffs on US scrap copper, aluminum from December 15

US President Trump has imposed steep tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods, with a further $300 billion in imports

BEIJING: China will impose an extra 5% tariff on imports of copper scrap and aluminium scrap from the United States (US) from December 15, according to a list of retaliatory tariffs published by the Ministry of Finance late on Friday.

Beijing had already levied a 25% tariff on copper scrap from the United States, one of its biggest suppliers, in a previous round of duties and twice hit the US scrap aluminium with a 25% tariff in 2018.

China to impose new tariffs on $75b of US imports

The tariffs saw China’s copper scrap imports from the United States fall by 80% year-on-year in the first half of 2019 to around 52,022 tonnes, customs data show, while aluminium scrap imports were down 16% to 229,837 tonnes.

China, the world’s biggest metals consumer, is tightening restrictions on imports of scrap metal, regardless of its origin, as part of an environmental campaign against foreign solid waste.