On Monday, the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) refused the appeal made by China on their export policies. The United States, the European Union (EU) and Mexico all made a case against China's application of export quotas, export taxes, and other export restraints on bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon carbide, silicon metal, yellow phosphorus and zinc, materials that are used to make steel and other manufactured goods, in 2009.
China said the reasoning behind its export policies was to help bolster the domestic industry, while trying to encourage foreign business to set up in China in order to cash in on the cheaper raw material prices. To the WTO Appellate Body, this showed that China was not upholding the principals it agreed upon when it joined the WTO.
Multiple American steel associations have given credit and applaud the WTO's decision, including the American Iron and Steel Institute, the Steel Manufacturers Association, the Specialty Steel Industry of North America, the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports, and the United Steelworkers, as reported by the American Iron and Steel Institute.