The US decision to impose up to 30 per cent tariffs on steel imports is not in accord with international trade rules, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deputy managing director has said.
The decision was "clearly a regrettable step, for a whole variety of reasons," Ms Anne Krueger said in remarks to a conference on economics education.
She suggested the move violated World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. The WTO is considering filings against the US tariffs by Europe and Japan.
It was not in step with trade rules in the sense the tariffs go beyond what "safeguard provisions" would allow for anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures against a wave of imports, she said.
Ms Krueger noted that US steel imports have declined in recent years, and that although there are seven million workers in US industries that use steel, there are just 322,000 jobs in the steel sector.
The senior IMF official also said the protection created by the Bush administration's decision will delay restructuring required by the steel manufacturers.
AFP