The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on May 7 called on the Office of the U.
S. Trade Representative (USTR) to consider cumulative tariffs against the "worst players" among 16 countries as part of a Section 301 investigation into structural overcapacity, citing record Chinese steel exports and growing shipments from India, Indonesia, Korea, Japan and Mexico.
Testifying on the third day of the USTR hearing in Washington, AISI senior vice president, policy and General Counsel, Jeremy Heckhuis, said China alone accounts for more than half of the world's excess steel capacity, and annual exports reached a record 131 million tons in 2025, more than North America consumed last year. Hehuis described the impact as a cycle in which Chinese exports redirect trade flows around the world. Chinese imports met 60 percent of Southeast Asian steel demand last year, while the region's own finished steel exports grew by 54 percent over the same period.
Regarding India, Heckhuis said that the country is "turning the page out of China's worn-out scenario" through significant government subsidies and has reported steady export growth in 2025, despite India's stated focus on domestic demand. Indonesia has been singled out for export restrictions on nickel and other types of steel production, which, he said, put U.
S. producers at a double disadvantage, first by restricting access to raw materials and, second, by forcing them to compete with subsidized Indonesian production.
Looking at South Korea, Mr. Hyokhuis said that weak domestic demand and
