US graphite miners ask Washington to impose tariffs of 920% on Chinese competitors

On Wednesday, North American miners of graphite asked the U.S. Government to impose tariffs as high as 92% on Chinese suppliers for the battery metal to combat what they call Beijing's "malicious" trade practices.

This is the latest effort by Western suppliers of critical minerals to counter China's control over the extraction and processing of building blocks used in electric vehicles and electronic devices.

Graphite can be produced synthetically or from natural sources. China is the world's largest producer of both types of graphite and has tightened its exports to the U.S. earlier this month.

The American Active Anode Material Producers (AAMP), a group of U.S.-based and Canadian graphite manufacturers, requested that the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. International Trade Commission, "investigate whether China exports natural and synthetic graphite... to the United States at unfair prices" and impose the tariff.

The group claimed that Chinese competitors operate to labor and environmental standards which allow them rapid production boosts.

The group wrote that the existing U.S. 25% tariff on most Chinese graphite was "far too low". It could be easily absorbed by Chinese competitors, it said.

In response to a request for comment, the Commerce Department and ITC failed to respond immediately.

Donald Trump, the president-elect, has threatened to impose tariffs across the board on Chinese products. Trump's advisors have encouraged him to impose duties on all critical minerals from abroad, including those linked to Beijing.

Tariffs are not supported by all U.S. companies that produce critical minerals. Jervois Global said last week that it would rather manufacturers buy Western metals than blanket tariffs. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft; Ernest Scheyder)

(source: Reuters)