The US has paved the way for the imposition of duties of as much as 500 per cent on Chinese cold-rolled steel, used to make cars and washing machines, as a backlash escalates against a glut of Chinese steel flooding global markets.

美国向着对中国冷轧钢板征收高达500%的关税走近了一步。目前针对中国钢材涌入全球市场的反弹出现升级。这类钢板用于制造汽车和洗衣机等多种产品。

The US Department of Commerce said it had determined that imports of Chinese cold-rolled steel should be subject to anti-subsidy duties of 256.4 per cent and anti-dumping duties of 265.8 per cent.

美国商务部表示，已确定中国输美的冷轧钢板应该被征收256.4%的反补贴税和265.8%的反倾销税。

Those duties could come into effect as soon as this summer if a separate review determines that the imports have caused “injury” to the US steel industry.

如果另一项单独进行的评估认定从中国进口的产品对美国钢铁行业造成“伤害”，这些关税可能最快在今年夏天就生效。

The case is one of three big anti-dumping cases involving Chinese steel imports launched by the US steel industry, all of which are expected to climax in the coming months.

此案是美国钢铁行业发起的涉及从中国进口钢材的三大反倾销案之一，预计这些案子都将在未来几个月内达到高潮。

Separately, US Steel, the country’s biggest producer, is seeking a total ban on Chinese imports as a result of hacking attacks in which it accuses China of stealing intellectual property.

另外，美国最大的生产商——美国钢铁公司(US Steel)指控中国对其发动黑客攻击以窃取知识产权，并以此为由寻求全面禁止从中国进口钢材。

China’s Ministry of Commerce expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the decision by the US, which it said had employed “unfair methods” in assessing the tariffs. But the US said none of China’s steel producers had responded to its request for their views on the anti-dumping case.

中国商务部对美国的决定表示“强烈不满”，称美方在评估关税时使用了“不公正做法”。但美国表示，中国钢铁生产商没有一家回应了对这起反倾销案发表意见的请求。

Chinese steel capacity has soared in the past decade to more than 1bn tonnes, sending surplus production flooding into international markets especially after domestic consumption peaked in 2013. Beijing routinely calls on the sector to cut capacity but at the same time it is unwilling to allow the failure of large mills, especially those of state-owned groups that are often the biggest employers, taxpayers and borrowers in their locality.

中国钢铁产能在过去10年里飙升，目前达到10亿吨以上，导致剩余产品涌入国际市场，尤其是在国内消费于2013年见顶之后。北京方面经常呼吁该行业削减产能，但与此同时不愿意让大型钢厂倒闭，特别是那些在当地往往是最大雇主、纳税人和借款人的国有集团。

Although imports of Chinese and other steel have been falling since 2014, the US steel industry has campaigning to have the government crack down on imports as global prices drop.

虽然美国从中国和其他国家的钢材进口从2014年起呈现降势，但随着全球钢材价格下降，美国钢铁行业一直在开展活动，要求政府打击进口。

That has coincided with rising anti-China trade rhetoric in this year’s US presidential campaign with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, vowing to stand up to China and impose sweeping tariffs on its products if he is elected.

这恰逢今年美国总统竞选期间反对美中贸易的论调不断升高，共和党假定被提名人唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)誓言，一旦当选将对抗中国，对中国输美产品全面征收关税。

Stocks of beleaguered US steel producers surged when initial anti-dumping duties were announced in March. The final ruling involves higher anti-subsidy duties than the commerce department initially indicated.

今年3月宣布最初的反倾销税后，陷入困境的美国钢铁生产商股价纷纷飙升。终裁认定的反补贴税高于美国商务部的预估。

The hefty tariffs will harden Chinese negotiators’ desire to acquire “market economy status” at the end of this year, as outlined when China joined the World Trade Organisation 15 years ago. Market economy status would protect Chinese exports from being assessed on the basis of prices in third-party countries, which are often higher, and from being assessed for both anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

这些较高的关税将强化中国谈判者要求按照15年前中国加入世界贸易组织(WTO)时的约定，在今年底取得“市场经济地位”的动力。市场经济地位将保护中国出口产品不会按照第三国的价格受到评估（这些国家的价格往往更高），也不会受到反倾销税和反补贴税的评估。

Pressure from the steel industry in the US and Europe has led to political opposition to automatically granting the status to China.

美国和欧洲钢铁行业的压力，已导致美欧政界反对自动给予中国市场经济地位。