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Trump Raises Tariffs on Aluminum, Steel Imports

Items inside a small metal fabrication plant, in Seoul, South Korea, 11 February 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
Items inside a small metal fabrication plant, in Seoul, South Korea, 11 February 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
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Trump Raises Tariffs on Aluminum, Steel Imports

Items inside a small metal fabrication plant, in Seoul, South Korea, 11 February 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
Items inside a small metal fabrication plant, in Seoul, South Korea, 11 February 2025. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN

President Donald Trump substantially raised tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Monday to a flat 25% "without exceptions or exemptions" in a move to aid the struggling industries but which increases the risk of a multi-front trade war.
Trump signed proclamations raising the US tariff rate on aluminum to 25% from his previous 10% rate and eliminating country exceptions and quota deals as well as hundreds of thousands of product-specific tariff exclusions for both metals. A White House official confirmed the measures would take effect on March 4, Reuters reported.
The tariffs will apply to millions of tons of steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and other countries that had been entering the US duty free under the carve-outs.
The move will simplify tariffs on the metals "so that everyone can understand exactly what it means," Trump told reporters. "It's 25% without exceptions or exemptions. That's all countries, no matter where it comes from, all countries."
Trump later said he would give "great consideration" to Australia's request for an exemption to the steel tariffs due to that country's trade deficit with the US.
The proclamations were extensions of Trump's 2018 Section 232 tariffs to protect domestic steel and aluminum makers on national security grounds. A White House official said the exemptions had eroded the effectiveness of these measures.
Trump also will impose a new North American standard requiring steel imports to be "melted and poured" and aluminum to be "smelted and cast" within the region to curb US imports of minimally processed Chinese and Russian metals that circumvent other tariffs.
The action also extends the tariffs to downstream products that use foreign-made steel, including fabricated structural steel, aluminum extrusions and steel strand for pre-stressed concrete, a White House official said.
As he signed the order at the White House, Trump said he would follow Monday's action with announcements about reciprocal tariffs on all countries that impose duties on US goods over the next two days, and said he was also looking at tariffs on cars, semiconductor chips and pharmaceuticals.
Asked about threats of retaliation by other countries against his new tariffs, Trump said: "I don't mind."
Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro said the latest measures would shore up national security by strengthening domestic steel and aluminum producers.

"The steel and aluminum tariffs 2.0 will put an end to foreign dumping, boost domestic production and secure our steel and aluminum industries as the backbone and pillar industries of America's economic and national security," he told reporters.

US data showed aluminum smelters produced just 670,000 metric tons of the metal last year, down from 3.7 million in 2000. Plant closures in recent years including in Kentucky and Missouri have left the country largely reliant on imports.
Canada, whose abundant hydropower resources aid its metal production, accounted for nearly 80% of US primary aluminum imports in 2024.
Steel imports accounted for about 23% of American steel consumption in 2023, according to American Iron and Steel Institute data, with Canada, Brazil and Mexico the largest suppliers.

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Africa Leads Growth in Solar Energy as Demand Spreads Beyond Traditional Markets, Report Says 

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)
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Africa Leads Growth in Solar Energy as Demand Spreads Beyond Traditional Markets, Report Says 

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)
Solar panels are seen on the roof of a company in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sept. 1, 2023. (AP)

Africa was the world’s fastest-growing solar market in 2025, defying a global slowdown and reshaping where the momentum in renewable energy is concentrated, according to an industry report released in late last month.

The report by the Africa Solar Industry Association says the continent's solar installed capacity expanded 17% in 2025, boosted by imports of Chinese-made solar panels. Global solar power capacity rose 23% in 2025 to 618 GW, slowing from a 44% increase in 2024.

“Chinese companies are the main drivers in Africa’s green transition,” said Cynthia Angweya-Muhati, acting CEO of the Kenya Renewable Energy Association. “They are aggressively investing in and building robust supply chains in Africa green energy ecosystem.”

Some of that capacity has yet to be rolled out. Africa has only 23.4 gigawatts peak (GWp) of working solar capacity even though nearly 64 GWp of solar equipment has been shipped to the continent since 2017. A gigawatt peak represents 1 billion watts of maximum, optimum power output under ideal conditions.

“Africa's growth is driven by changing policies and enabling conditions in a number of countries,” said John Van Zuylen, CEO of the Africa Solar Industry Association.

“Solar energy has moved beyond a handful of early adopters to become a broader continental priority,” he said recently on the sidelines of the Inter Solar Africa summit in Nairobi. “What we are seeing is not temporary. It is policies aligning with market dynamics.”

Historically, South Africa dominated solar imports in Africa, at one point accounting for roughly half of all panels shipped to the continent. The latest data show its share has slipped below a third as demand surged elsewhere. Last year, 20 African nations set new annual records for solar imports, as 25 countries imported a total of at least 100 megawatts of capacity.

Nigeria has overtaken Egypt as Africa's second-largest importer as solar energy and battery storage provide a practical and affordable alternative to diesel generators and unreliable grid power. In Algeria, solar imports soared more than 30-fold year-on-year. Imports also surged in Zambia and Botswana.

At least 23 African countries, including South Africa, Tunisia, Kenya, Chad and the Central African Republic, are now generating over 5% of their electricity from solar energy, the report said.

Prices have fallen both for solar panels and batteries, mostly from China, enabling households and businesses to rely on solar plus batteries for round-the-clock electricity, the report said. Battery storage costs in Africa fell to $112 per kilowatt-hour in 2025 from an average of $144 per kilowatt-hour in 2023 as improved technology made storage systems more flexible and longer lasting.

“This ever-decreasing price of storage has game-changing implications for Africa, which has a dire need for stable and baseload power,” said Van Zuyken.

The gradual removal of diesel subsidies in Nigeria in the past two years also has helped accelerate adoption of solar energy. The policy was implemented sector by sector to cushion its impact, making diesel increasingly expensive and nudging businesses and households toward solar. In September, Nigeria announced plans for a 1 GW solar panel factory, the largest in West Africa. Similar facilities are under construction in Egypt, South Africa and Ethiopia.

As Africa moves to build its own manufacturing capacity, the industry is looking to China to transfer knowhow to help alleviate Africa’s dependence on imported equipment and technology.

Jobs won't be confined to manufacturing.

“The solar jobs boom is occurring in services including installation, maintenance, distribution and financing, where thousands of small and medium enterprises are emerging to meet rising demand,” Van Zuylen said.

Unlike regions such as the Middle East, where governments publish clear 10 or 20-year energy roadmaps, many African markets lack consistent policy signals. So, uncertainty over policies remains a challenge. Solar firms operating across Africa say unpredictable tax regimes, shifting import duties and unclear long-term energy plans undermine investor confidence.

“The problem is not the opportunity. It’s visibility,” said Amos Wemanya, senior analyst on renewable energy at Powershift Africa. “If a government announces a plan, companies need to trust that it will remain in place.”

Business

US Reaches Trade Deal to Lower Taiwan's Tariff Barriers

Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)
Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)
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US Reaches Trade Deal to Lower Taiwan's Tariff Barriers

Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)
Containers stacked at the port of Keelung in northern Taiwan (Reuters file photo)

The Trump administration reached a trade deal with Taiwan on Thursday, with Taiwan agreeing to remove or reduce 99% of its tariff barriers, the office of the US Trade Representative said.

The agreement comes as the US remains reliant on Taiwan for its production of computer chips, the exporting of which contributed to a trade imbalance of nearly $127 billion during the first 11 months of 2025, according to the Census Bureau.

Most of Taiwan’s exports to the US will be taxed at a 15% rate, the USTR's office said. The 15% rate is the same as that levied on other US trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Japan and South Korea.

Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attended the signing of the reciprocal agreement, which occurred under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States. Taiwan’s Vice Premier Li-chiun Cheng and its government minister Jen-ni Yang also attended the signing.

“President Trump’s leadership in the Asia-Pacific region continues to generate prosperous trade ties for the United States with important partners across Asia, while further advancing the economic and national security interests of the American people,” The Associated Press quoted Greer as saying in a statement.

The Taiwanese government said in a statement that the tariff rate set in the agreement allows its companies to compete on a level field with Japan, South Korea and the European Union. It also said the agreement “eliminated” the disadvantage from a lack of a free trade agreement between Taiwan and the US.

The deal comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to China in April and suggests a deepening economic relationship between the US and Taiwan.

Cheng said Taiwan hopes the agreement will make it a strategic partner with the US “so as to jointly consolidate the democratic camp’s leading position in high technology.”

The agreement would make it easier for the US to sell autos, pharmaceutical drugs and food products in Taiwan. But the critical component might be that Taiwanese companies would invest in the production of computer chips in the US, possibly helping to ease the trade imbalance.

In a separate but related deal, Taiwan will make investments of $250 billion in US industries, such as computer chips, artificial intelligence applications and energy. The Taiwanese government says it will provide up to an additional $250 billion in credit guarantees to help smaller businesses invest in the US.

The investments helped enable the US to reduce its planned tariffs from as much as 32% initially to 15%.

Taiwan's government said it will submit the reciprocal trade deal and investment plans to its legislature for approval.

In Taipei, President Lai Ching-te told reporters that Taiwan had agreed to reduce tariffs on imports from the US but stressed that the rate on 93 items would remain unchanged to protect important agriculture and industrial sectors such as rice farming.

The US side said the deal with Taiwan would help create several “world-class” industrial parks in America in order to help build up domestic manufacturing of advanced technologies such as chips. The Commerce Department in January described it as “a historic trade deal that will drive a massive reshoring of America’s semiconductor sector.”

In return, the US would give preferential treatment to Taiwan regarding the possible tariffs stemming from a Section 232 investigation of the importing of computer chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Business

Saudi Industry Minister Discusses Localization of Medical Device Manufacturing with Global Firms in Belgium

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)
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Saudi Industry Minister Discusses Localization of Medical Device Manufacturing with Global Firms in Belgium

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef (center) during one of his meetings in Brussels on Thursday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef held talks in Brussels on Thursday with Pfizer Global President of Emerging Markets Nick Lagunowich and a number of the company’s leaders to discuss ways to boost industrial cooperation and explore opportunities to localize pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing in Saudi Arabia.

The meeting addressed areas of cooperation, the exchange of expertise, and the transfer of advanced technologies for the manufacturing of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals to the Kingdom, as well as boosting integration into pharmaceutical supply chains and developing joint investments in high-quality projects that support the Kingdom’s drug security objectives.

Alkhorayef toured Pfizer’s manufacturing units in Brussels, where he was briefed on the company’s operations, key investments, and operational tracks in the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry. Factory officials highlighted its pivotal role in producing vaccines and biopharmaceuticals globally and stressed their interest in transferring similar technologies to the planned factory in the Kingdom.

Alkhorayef also met with the president of Agfa HealthCare to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the manufacturing of medical devices and advanced industrial solutions.

He toured the company’s industrial facilities, reviewing its efforts to develop medical device solutions, digital health data management systems, and the latest radiology technologies, as well as its capabilities in producing specialty chemicals and green hydrogen membranes.

These meetings and field visits are part of the Alkhorayef’s official visit to Belgium and aim to bolster economic partnerships, attract high-quality investments, and transfer advanced technologies in the pharmaceutical and medical industries in line with the objectives of the National Industrial Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030.