US Senator Sherrod Brown has called on US President Joe Biden to examine the relationship between Nippon Steel and the Chinese steel industry as the Japanese steelmaker seeks to acquire United States Steel Corporation (US Steel). Senator Brown expressed concerns that Nippon’s acquisition of US Steel could pose a danger to American national and economic security taking into account the longstanding relationship between Nippon Steel and the Chinese steel industry.
“We cannot allow our US industrial base to be compromised through further entanglement with one of our biggest national security threats, and our largest economic competitor that we know does not follow our trade laws,” Brown said in a letter to the president. The senator also criticized Nippon Steel for not negotiating with workers. The United Steelworkers union is seeking to enforce labor agreements and obtain transparency about Nippon’s finances in the event the acquisition takes place, as SteelOrbis previously reported.