商务部长威尔伯•罗斯（Wilbur Ross）
本文最初于7月15日发表在新闻网站Cleveland.com。
去年，美国商务部（U.S. Department of Commerce）启动调查，以确定钢和铝材料进口是否会损害美国国家安全。围绕进口对钢铝工业造成的影响所进行的几个月的研究明确显示，这些行业的未来受到威胁。我们得出结论，为维持美国国家安全所需的金属生产能力，必须采取行动。
唐纳德·特朗普（Donald J. Trump）总统同意采取行动，并于3月8日宣布了对钢材进口征收25%关税，对铝进口征收10%关税。
实施这些关税的根据是，外国大幅度超量生产所导致的创纪录的钢铝进口有可能损害在1962年《贸易扩展法》（Trade Expansion Act）第232条款中所界定的我国国家安全，而钢铝金属需要被用在美国16个关键的基础设施领域。
要为美国军方提供先进的金属材料以及为美国行业提供关键性基础设施所需要的钢和铝材料，美国制造商就必须具有商业活力。仅从事军工和关键基础设施的合同生产，这些公司是无法维持的；轧钢厂和冶炼厂不可能在开工不足的情况下持续运转和生存。
自从2月份公布《232条款调查》（Section 232 Investigation）报告起，美国的钢铝工业开始得到振兴。国内生产商宣布了对最近关闭的工厂的九项重大投资。美国铝业公司正在将在肯塔基州霍斯维尔（Hawesville, Kentucky）和密苏里州马斯顿（Marston, Missouri）的生产线现代化和予以重新启动。
美国钢铁公司（United States Steel Corp.）最初决定重新启用在伊利诺伊州（Illinois）格拉尼特成钢铁厂（Granite City Works）的两个被封炼炉之一，并于6月5日宣布启动第二座炼炉，从而使钢材总产量达到250万吨。这两条生产线合在一起，将使800名美国人重返工作岗位，生产不仅为美国军方所需，也为重建国家基础设施所需的重要金属材料。
其他一些钢铁业工厂最近也获得投资和重新启动，它们在俄亥俄州的洛雷恩（Lorain, Ohio）；南卡罗来纳州的乔治敦（Georgetown, South Carolina）；俄克拉何马州的杜兰特（Durant, Oklahoma）；俄亥俄州的明戈章克申（Mingo Junction）；佛罗里达州的弗罗斯特普鲁夫（Frostproof, Florida）；以及得克萨斯州的布朗斯维尔（Brownsville, Texas）。
明确无疑的一点是：如果没有特朗普总统的232条款关税，就不会有美国金属工业的重大复兴。
美国钢铁工业去年的粗钢产量仅为8200万吨。美国去年的钢产量是中国8.32亿吨钢产量的十分之一，不足欧洲联盟（European Union）1.68亿吨的二分之一，比印度产量少2000万吨。这说明，中国是全球钢产量过剩的最主要根源。
然而，美国的钢材料进口却一直扶摇直上，去年占美国市场的32.6%。自2009年以来，钢铁业大多在亏损运转，大量进口补贴生产的钢材料导致钢铁行业盈利收入不足，无力对新技术，研发和员工发展作出投资。
美国铝制造业的境况更为糟糕，几乎崩溃。2017年，美国仅剩三家公司，五座熔炼厂，而2000年时有23座。
2017年，美国的铝产量仅为74万吨，而消费量接近600万吨。美国去年所需90%的铝依靠进口。同钢材料一样，铝材料被用于从电缆到喷气飞机的数以千计的产品中，对我国国家安全至关重要。
尽管实施232条款关税受到外国厂商和政府的反对，但这些关税正在逐步产生它们预期的效果。它们正在帮助重建对我们国家安全具有关键作用的两个行业。
我们不能让中国对其国内就业问题的出口威胁到对美国国家安全至关重要的行业。我们已经要求我们的友邦和贸易伙伴协助我们控制这种过度生产。这是一项艰巨的工作，但是，为了我们的国家安全，也为了全球经济，必须这样做。美国也再次愿意一马当先。
Opinion: Revitalizing the U.S. steel and aluminum industry will keep America safe
Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated investigations to determine whether imports of steel and aluminum threaten to impair the United States’ national security. After several months studying the impact of imports on the steel and aluminum industries, it was clear that their future was at risk. We concluded that, to preserve America’s ability to produce the metals required to ensure our national security, action was needed.
President Donald J. Trump agreed with the need for action and, on March 8, announced a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum.
These tariffs were imposed in light of evidence that record levels of steel and aluminum imports caused by massive levels of foreign excess production capacity threaten to impair our national security as defined in Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and that steel and aluminum are required for use in 16 critical infrastructure sectors in the United States.
To supply the United States military with advanced metals and U.S. industry with the steel and aluminum needed for critical infrastructure, the American manufacturers providing them must be commercially viable. These companies cannot stay in business only as military and critical infrastructure contractors; the mills and smelters cannot continue to operate at reduced capacity and survive.
Since release of the Section 232 Investigation reports in February, revitalization of the U.S. steel and aluminum industries has begun. Domestic producers have announced nine major investments in recently shuttered plants. U.S. aluminum companies are modernizing and restarting production lines in Hawesville, Kentucky, and Marston, Missouri.
United States Steel Corp. initially decided to restart one of two mothballed furnaces at its Granite City Works in Illinois and announced on June 5 that it is restarting the second one to produce a total of 2.5 million tons of steel. Combined, these two lines will put 800 Americans back to work making essential metals that we need not only for the United States military, but also to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
Other recent investments and restarts in steel production include plants in Lorain, Ohio; Georgetown, South Carolina; Durant, Oklahoma; Mingo Junction, Ohio; Frostproof, Florida; and Brownsville, Texas.
One thing is clear: The remarkable revitalization of American’s metal industries would not be happening without President Trump’s Section 232 tariffs.
The U.S. steel industry last year produced only 82 million metric tons of crude steel. America’s steel output last year was one-tenth of the 832 million tons of steel produced by China, less than half of the 168 million tons produced by the European Union, and 20 million tons less than India. This illustrates that, by far, China has been the root source of global excess capacity.
Yet, U.S. imports of steel have been skyrocketing, accounting for 32.6 percent of the U.S. market last year. Much of the industry has been operating in the red since 2009, and the lack of profitability and revenues caused by surging imports of subsidized steel have drained the sector of its ability to make investments in new production technologies, R&D and workforce development.
The U.S. producers of aluminum are in even worse shape and this industry has suffered a virtual collapse. In 2017, there were only three remaining companies running five smelters in the United States, down from 23 smelters in 2000.
U.S. aluminum production in 2017 was only 740,000 tons, compared to U.S. consumption of almost 6 million tons. The United States imported nearly 90 percent of its aluminum last year. Like steel, aluminum is used in thousands of products from electrical cable to jet aircraft, and is vital to our national security.
Despite objections over the Section 232 tariffs from foreign producers and governments, the tariffs are on track to accomplish what they were intended to do. They are helping re-establish two vital industries for our national security.
We cannot allow China’s exportation of its domestic employment concerns to threaten industries critical to U.S. national security. We have asked our friends and trading partners to help us rein in this overcapacity. This is hard work, but it must be done for the sake of our national security, and for the sake of the global economy. America is again willing to take the lead.
