Possible trade war eclipses G-20 meet


FE Team | Published: March 20, 2018 21:02:37


Possible trade war eclipses G-20 meet

BUENOS AIRES, Mar 20 (AP): Finance ministers and central bankers from the 20 leading industrial and developing countries are meeting in Argentina at a summit that has been eclipsed by growing concerns over the potential of a global trade war following US President Donald Trump's decision to slap import tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Trump's tariffs - of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminum imports - enter into force this week.
The issue had not been addressed officially at the two-day summit that began Monday in Buenos Aires. But some G-20 officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said that Trump's measures have been a major talking point in private sessions.
Argentina's Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday to exempt the South American country from the tariffs. Trump is temporarily exempting Canada and Mexico.
Other Latin American countries have also reached out to Trump for exemptions, and the European Union's top trade official said Monday that the EU should be excluded as a whole. The EU has already published a list of American products it plans to tax if it is not exempted.

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