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Reuters

India, the world’s second-biggest producer of crude steel, has imposed a 12 per cent temporary tariff on some steel imports, locally known as a safeguard duty, to curb a surge in cheap shipments primarily from China.
A flood of Chinese steel in recent years has pushed some Indian mills to scale down operations and mull job cuts, and India is one of a number of countries to have contemplated action to stem imports to protect local industry.
The Ministry of Finance said in an official order that the duty would be effective for 200 days from Monday, “unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier”.
The move is New Delhi’s first big trade policy shift since US President Donald Trump imposed a wide range of tariffs on countries in April, kicking off a bitter trade war with China.

Tensions over cheap steel imports into India predate that, with the investigation behind the latest move beginning in December.
India’s Steel Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy said in a statement the measure is aimed at protecting domestic steel manufacturers from the adverse impact of a surge in imports, and will ensure fair competition in the market.
“This move will provide critical relief to domestic producers, especially small and medium-scale enterprises, who have faced immense pressure from rising imports,” Kumaraswamy said.

Delhi’s tariffs are primarily aimed at China, which was the second-biggest exporter of steel to India behind South Korea in the last financial year.
“The decision is along expected lines, and we will now wait and see how this measure supports [the] industry and margins and restricts cheap imports into the country,” said a senior executive at a leading Indian steel mill.
“The world is impacted by Chinese imports, whether directly or indirectly,” the executive added.
India was a net importer of finished steel for a second straight year in 2024-25, with shipments reaching a nine-year high of 9.5 million tonnes, according to provisional government data.
Delhi’s leading steelmakers’ body – which counts JSW Steel and Tata Steel among members, alongside the Steel Authority of India and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India – has raised concerns over imports and called for curbs.


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India

India targets Chinese shipments with new tariff on steel imports

An employee works at a steel bar manufacturing facility in the western Indian state of Gujarat on April 7. Photo: Reuters

A worker stacks pressed steel items at a factory which produces metal products for export in China’s eastern Shandong province on April 15. Photo: AFP

Steel products for export are seen piled up at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 1. South Korea was the largest exporter of steel to India in 2024-25. Photo: Yonhap/EPA-EFE

US tariff threats open door to a ‘make in India’ moment

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the White House in February. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Employees pack parts for commercial vehicles inside an auto component manufacturing facility in Rajkot, India, on April 3. Photo: Reuters

People dance in Mumbai on Monday at an event celebrating B. R. Ambedkar, who drafted India’s constitution. About 65 per cent of the country’s 1.4 billion population is under 35. Photo: EPA-EFE

An employee assembles a car on an assembly line inside a Renault Nissan Automotive India plant in Tamil Nadu. Photo: Reuters

Employees work on a production line at a pharmaceutical company on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on April 12. Photo: Reuters

Trump’s tariffs fuel China’s dream of railway link with Southeast Asia

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have agreed to boost rail transport and infrastructure cooperation at their talks in Putrajaya this week. Photo: Xinhua

Vietnamese fruit farmers are hoping to sell more produce such as durians to China via an integrated railway. Photo: Bob Wang

Malaysia’s proposed East Coast Rail Link. Photo: Malaysia Rail Link

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Hanoi on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Singapore’s task force warns of ‘disorderly’ tariffs’ impact on economy

Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong (second from left) heads Singapore’s task force on economic resilience. Photo: Jean Iau

Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong has warned of the impact on Singapore’s economy from Washington’s “disorderly” global tariffs. Photo: AFP

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has spoken out strongly about the negative economic impact of Washington’s universal tariffs. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tan Cheng Bock, Secretary General of the Progressive Singapore Party, says government ministers are instilling fears in voters about the US tariff issue. Photo: AFP

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Effective immediately for 200 days, the tariff marks India’s first major trade policy shift since Donald Trump’s global tariff impositions


Effective immediately for 200 days, the tariff marks India’s first major trade policy shift since Donald Trump’s global tariff impositions.
