Spanish
Washington.- The president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed this Wednesday an executive order that imposes global tariffs of 50% on the import of copper, a measure that will come into effect on August 1st, although copper cathodes exported by countries like Chile would be exempt.
According to the document, distributed by the White House, the U.S. government considers that the high volumes of copper imports and global overcapacity represent a threat to national security, by weakening the local industry.You may be interested in: http://Trump promises to «retake» the Panama Canal and rename the Gulf of Mexico
The Trump administration denounces alleged unfair practices by foreign competitors, including state subsidies, global overproduction of copper, and the laxity of certain environmental regulations in other countries. The order establishes a universal tariff of 50% on imports of copper products and their derivatives, a measure that will coincide with the end of the current tariff truce and will mark the beginning of a new phase of taxation. Basic copper inputs, such as minerals, concentrates, cathodes, anodes, and scrap, will not be subject to these tariffs, although they will be subject to special controls, given that at least 25% of these materials must be produced in the United States. Furthermore, the Government is considering possible additional increases in tariffs on refined copper in subsequent phases. Chile, which is the world's largest copper producer, exported a total of $5.6 billion of the red metal to the United States in 2024, representing 11.1% of total Chilean shipments, according to official figures. Most shipments to the United States are cathodes and refined cathode sections, which would be exempt from duties.
