US President Donald Trump has opened a new front in his commercial war, and ordered the study of the imposition of new customs duties on copper imports to rebuild American production of the important metal for the electric car industry, military equipment, semi -conductors and a wide range of consumer goods.
In an effort to confront what its advisers believe that a Chinese move to dominate the global copper market, Trump signed an order that the Minister of Commerce directed Howard Lootnick to start a new investigation related to national security under a law that the president used during his first term to impose customs duties by 25% on steel and aluminum imports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnqbt7fkxrg
“Trump time”
A White House official said that any customs duties would be determined through the investigation, adding that Trump prefers fees to determine imports for imports.
The White House Trading Adviser, Peter Navarro, said the investigation will be completed quickly “Trump time.”
Navarro added that China uses government support and economic influence to control copper production globally, in the same way that currently dominates steel and aluminum.
However, most countries that may be affected by any new US customs duties on copper will be Chile, Canada and Mexico, which was the largest copper -exporting market and its material for the United States in 2024, according to the data of the American Statistical Office.
Copper
In another context, Bloomberg News reported today from informed sources that the Trump administration ended an initiative to increase electricity supplies in Africa more than 10 years after its launch.
Bloomberg added – quoting the unnamed sources – that almost all “Power Africa” initiative programs were included on the closure list, and most of its employees were separated.
