There’s
a dark side to cheap oil and gas. And it’s not just layoffs. It’s fear,
and it’s not good for business or international relations.
In 2013, one of the largest steel manufacturers in Turkey invested $150 million to build a state-of-the-art plant in Baytown, just outside of Houston. It opened in April 2014 and created 250 jobs in Texas.
The
plant produces 300,000 tons of what are called oil country tubular
goods. OCTG are generally 30-foot long, threaded pipes that carry oil
from the wellbore. The quantity produced is expected to offset 85 percent
of Turkey’s OCTG exports to the U.S. Put in context, in 2014, Turkey
made up only a 5 percent quantity share and only 3.8 percent value share
of U.S. steel imports.The threat from Capitol Hill is just as
palpable, and a touch ironic. As part of the ballyhooed Trade Promotion
Authority legislative package, Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) (HR 1295)
also became law. TAA includes protectionist provisions championed by
the American steel industry that alters the injury standard that the
International Trade Commission uses to evaluate trade cases against
importers, like Turkish steel producers.
What that means is that a broader injury standard gives U.S. producers the ability to file more cases, fast track trade cases against imports, and raise the price of steel in the U.S. with tariffs.
Despite the Turkish steel industry’s contributions and the fact that it is no real menace to the U.S. economy, the industry is constantly under threat of international sanctions as the U.S. steel industry prepares to launch yet another salvo of trade cases against Turkish steel companies.
Why? First a little background.
The global steel markets have some structural problems and have been adversely affected by macroeconomic conditions not of their own making. The chief culprit is plummeting global energy prices that have shrunken demand for the OCTG being produced in Baytown, Texas, and just about everywhere else.
Coupled with the U.S. dollar rising 40 percent against the Euro and a slowing economy in China, which is responsible for over half the world’s steel production, and you can see why there is understandable anxiety in the steel industry.
Despite all these global macroeconomic challenges, if one was to listen to U.S. steel industry rhetoric, imported steel is 100 percent to blame for the American industry’s problems. That’s just flat out wrong.
We, as members of the Turkish Steel Exporters Association want a dialogue with our American counterparts and key members of Congress to clear up any misconceptions about Turkish trade practices, not legal wrangling or falling back on petty protectionist policies.
As the world’s eighth largest producer of steel, Turkey’s main objective is maintaining a globally sustainable steel market based on free and fair trade. Turkey is a free market economy and its producers adhere to the World Trade Organization’s trade laws and European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) rules barring subsidies, embracing trade as the key to Turkey’s success.
In 1996, Turkey agreed with the ECSC to abolish customs duties on bilateral steel trade. Turkey trades steel freely with all EU member states. Turkish Steel companies are private and do not receive government subsidies related to their energy, transportation or infrastructure costs.
Instead, Turkey’s modern vertically integrated production process with factories located on the Mediterranean coast and its world-leading use of electric arc furnace (EAF) technology make Turkish steel production more efficient and greener than any of its rivals around the world. Turkey produces 70 percent of its total crude steel using the EAF method, which is based on recycled scrap metal. As a result, the Turkish steel companies emit 1/6th of the CO2 compared to traditional methods.
We believe the U.S. steel industry’s legal actions are also out of step with American attitudes toward free and fair trade. In May, for the first time in 15 years the Wall Street Journal reported that a plurality of Americans who were polled last month said that, “free trade with foreign countries helped the United States.”
We agree with the American public’s views, and that the U.S. steel industry’s agitating for increased tariffs only ends up hurting American business, and the American economy. If Turkish steel producers are able to produce at a lower cost due to superior technology and business processes and sell at more competitive prices, should trade be stymied through tariffs and duties just because the U.S. steel industry has fallen behind?
Further, because the U.S. steel industry is less efficient, must it seek to disqualify its competitors from the American market by incessantly filing unsubstantiated trade cases? If the industry continues its fictitious saber-rattling, will the US give up its commitment to free and fair trade?
The continuing trend toward filing antidumping and countervailing duty cases against countries like Turkey will not solve the current structural and macroeconomic issues facing the U.S., and indeed world steel industries. Only by some form of constructive engagement among the stakeholders will we find a path out of this forest.
Ekinci is chairman of the Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association.
Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/248696-protectionist-us-policy-hurting-turkish-steel
NAM KIM STEEL GROUP MANUFACTURER
Tel: +84650 37 9999 2 (Mr. Joshua)
Mobile/Viber/Whatsapp: +84 169.949.3.696
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Email: khanhtp@namkimgroup.vn
Webiste: www.namkimgroup.vn
In 2013, one of the largest steel manufacturers in Turkey invested $150 million to build a state-of-the-art plant in Baytown, just outside of Houston. It opened in April 2014 and created 250 jobs in Texas.
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What that means is that a broader injury standard gives U.S. producers the ability to file more cases, fast track trade cases against imports, and raise the price of steel in the U.S. with tariffs.
Despite the Turkish steel industry’s contributions and the fact that it is no real menace to the U.S. economy, the industry is constantly under threat of international sanctions as the U.S. steel industry prepares to launch yet another salvo of trade cases against Turkish steel companies.
Why? First a little background.
The global steel markets have some structural problems and have been adversely affected by macroeconomic conditions not of their own making. The chief culprit is plummeting global energy prices that have shrunken demand for the OCTG being produced in Baytown, Texas, and just about everywhere else.
Coupled with the U.S. dollar rising 40 percent against the Euro and a slowing economy in China, which is responsible for over half the world’s steel production, and you can see why there is understandable anxiety in the steel industry.
Despite all these global macroeconomic challenges, if one was to listen to U.S. steel industry rhetoric, imported steel is 100 percent to blame for the American industry’s problems. That’s just flat out wrong.
We, as members of the Turkish Steel Exporters Association want a dialogue with our American counterparts and key members of Congress to clear up any misconceptions about Turkish trade practices, not legal wrangling or falling back on petty protectionist policies.
As the world’s eighth largest producer of steel, Turkey’s main objective is maintaining a globally sustainable steel market based on free and fair trade. Turkey is a free market economy and its producers adhere to the World Trade Organization’s trade laws and European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) rules barring subsidies, embracing trade as the key to Turkey’s success.
In 1996, Turkey agreed with the ECSC to abolish customs duties on bilateral steel trade. Turkey trades steel freely with all EU member states. Turkish Steel companies are private and do not receive government subsidies related to their energy, transportation or infrastructure costs.
Instead, Turkey’s modern vertically integrated production process with factories located on the Mediterranean coast and its world-leading use of electric arc furnace (EAF) technology make Turkish steel production more efficient and greener than any of its rivals around the world. Turkey produces 70 percent of its total crude steel using the EAF method, which is based on recycled scrap metal. As a result, the Turkish steel companies emit 1/6th of the CO2 compared to traditional methods.
We believe the U.S. steel industry’s legal actions are also out of step with American attitudes toward free and fair trade. In May, for the first time in 15 years the Wall Street Journal reported that a plurality of Americans who were polled last month said that, “free trade with foreign countries helped the United States.”
We agree with the American public’s views, and that the U.S. steel industry’s agitating for increased tariffs only ends up hurting American business, and the American economy. If Turkish steel producers are able to produce at a lower cost due to superior technology and business processes and sell at more competitive prices, should trade be stymied through tariffs and duties just because the U.S. steel industry has fallen behind?
Further, because the U.S. steel industry is less efficient, must it seek to disqualify its competitors from the American market by incessantly filing unsubstantiated trade cases? If the industry continues its fictitious saber-rattling, will the US give up its commitment to free and fair trade?
The continuing trend toward filing antidumping and countervailing duty cases against countries like Turkey will not solve the current structural and macroeconomic issues facing the U.S., and indeed world steel industries. Only by some form of constructive engagement among the stakeholders will we find a path out of this forest.
Ekinci is chairman of the Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association.
Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/248696-protectionist-us-policy-hurting-turkish-steel
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Email: khanhtp@namkimgroup.vn
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