美国取消特朗普时代对英国钢铁征收的关税
The UK had hoped for a free trade deal with the US
The US has agreed to ease Trump-era tariffs on UK steel and aluminium shipments, resolving an issue that had strained relations between the allies.
The move follows earlier deals with the European Union and Japan over the controversial taxes, which were imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 in the name of national security.
In exchange, the UK will suspend extra taxes it had put on US products such as bourbon and Levi's jeans.
Business groups welcomed the decision.
Under the agreement, the US will replace the 25% tariffs on steel with a quota system. The policy will let UK metal imports into the country duty-free up to a certain level - the quota - before taxes kick in again.
The deal will go into effect 1 June.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the deal had removed a "very frustrating irritant", calling the agreement "good news for the steel and aluminium sectors, which support the jobs of over 80,000 people across the UK".
"It means our manufacturers can now enjoy a high level of tariff-free access to the US market once again," she said.
"Hopefully we can now move forward and focus on deepening our thriving trading relationship with the US".
Free trade deal next?
US officials also welcomed the suspension of the UK retaliatory tariffs, which they said affected about $500m (£377m) worth in annual trade.
"The historical deal announced today delivers on President Biden's vision to repair relationships with our allies while also helping to ensure the long-term viability of our steel and aluminium industries," said Ambassador Katherine Tai.
However, in an interview with the BBC, Ms Tai, the top US trade negotiator, refused to be drawn as to when or if discussions for a formal free trade agreement might start.
"I think the issue is what kind of collaboration is going to be fit for the purpose of addressing the challenges that we have today," she said. "I'm not going to exclude any options."
The Biden administration has prioritised domestic goals ahead of trade, said economist Chad Bown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
While that could change as the US seeks stronger relations with allies in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said there's no evidence of that happening yet.
"The US administration has not made any signs that they want to do trade agreements with anybody anytime soon," he said. "That would be a big change."
Trump tariffs
The Biden administration's low prioritisation of trade matters marks a major shift from former president Donald Trump, who made it a signature area of focus, using tariffs as bargaining chips in diplomacy.
He set off a firestorm of criticism in the US and abroad when he announced the 25% tax on foreign steel shipments and 15% tax on foreign aluminium, citing a need to preserve America's manufacturing base and rejecting concerns that tariffs raise prices.
Worker pouring molten metal from flask in foundry workshop
After allies, including the UK, hit US products such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles in retaliation, Mr Trump backed off the duties for certain countries, including Canada, opting for quotas instead.
US President Joe Biden later reached similar deals with the European Union and Japan.
The approach has won praise in the US, including from groups like United Steel Workers for responding to the concerns of allies while still providing protection for US manufacturers.
With many steel plants located in key election states, maintaining support from those workers is important for Mr Biden.
On Tuesday the union praised the new deal for measures it said would help safeguard against unfairly subsidised steel production, such as mandatory annual audits of British Steel, which has a Chinese parent company.
Business lobby UK Steel also praised the deal, saying it would be "felt by steel companies and their employees right across the UK and is immensely welcome".
But with the quotas in place, consumers are unlikely to see benefits like lower prices, said Phil Levy, economist for Flexport.
"Replacing tariffs with a system of quotas is actually moving away from transparency on these things and it does not get you the benefits of free trade," he said.
The US and UK traded more than $260bn worth of goods last year, of which the majority were exports from the US such as metals, aircraft parts, oil and gas.
While America accounts for nearly one fifth of total UK trade, the UK market represents just 5% of US exports.
Mr Bown said the US imports too little British steel for a deal to have significant impact on prices. For UK consumers of American products, the impact on prices is also likely to be marginal, he said.
"It can't hurt the consumer, so it will make them better off, but by how much is I think unclear," he said.
Analysis box by Dharshini David, global trade correspondent
With America buying £1 in every £6 of British exports, the cooling of tensions over steel has raised hopes of a reheating of the wider transatlantic trade relationship.
Levi's jeans, Harley Davidson motorbikes, steel bars and bourbon whiskey became unlikely weapons in a painful battle that has waged since 2018, with their producers and consumers paying a hefty price. For them this ceasefire will be welcome, if overdue.
At the heart of the dispute was the protection of American jobs. And if - and it's by no means certain - these developments are the first step towards the resumption of wider free-trade talks, that theme will continue to loom large, even if the man in the White House has changed.
The Biden administration struck a deal with the EU over steel almost five months ago. There's been speculations that the UK was made to wait due to unease over the way Boris Johnson's government has handled post-Brexit trading arrangements in Ireland.
The UK is keen to demonstrate its Brexit-era agility by notching up more trade agreements - but the US will be keen to continue showing it's calling the shots
美国已同意放宽特朗普时代对英国钢铁和铝运输的关税，解决了一个使盟国之间关系紧张的问题。
此举是在此前与欧盟和日本就有争议的税收达成的协议之后进行的，这些税收由前总统唐纳德特朗普于 2018 年以国家安全的名义征收。
作为交换，英国将暂停对波旁威士忌和李维斯牛仔裤等美国产品征收的额外税款。
商业团体对这一决定表示欢迎。
根据协议，美国将用配额制取代25%的钢铁关税。该政策将允许英国金属进口免税达到一定水平 - 配额 - 在税收再次开始之前。
该交易将于6月1日生效。
国际贸易大臣 Anne-Marie Trevelyan 表示，该协议消除了“非常令人沮丧的刺激因素”，称该协议“对钢铁和铝行业来说是个好消息，它们支持英国 80,000 多人的工作”。
“这意味着我们的制造商现在可以再次享受高水平的免关税进入美国市场，”她说。
“希望我们现在可以继续前进，专注于深化我们与美国蓬勃发展的贸易关系”。
下一个自由贸易协定？
美国官员还对英国暂停报复性关税表示欢迎，他们说这影响了价值约 5 亿美元（3.77 亿英镑）的年度贸易。
“今天宣布的历史性协议实现了拜登总统修复与我们盟友关系的愿景，同时也有助于确保我们钢铁和铝行业的长期生存能力，”凯瑟琳·戴大使说。
然而，在接受 BBC 采访时，美国最高贸易谈判代表戴女士拒绝透露何时或是否会开始讨论正式的自由贸易协定。
她说：“我认为问题在于，什么样的合作才适合解决我们今天面临的挑战。” “我不会排除任何选择。”
彼得森国际经济研究所高级研究员、经济学家查德·鲍恩表示，拜登政府将国内目标置于贸易之上。
尽管随着美国在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的背景下寻求与盟国建立更牢固的关系，这种情况可能会发生变化，但他表示，目前还没有证据表明这种情况正在发生。
“美国政府没有任何迹象表明他们想在短期内与任何人达成贸易协定，”他说。“那将是一个很大的变化。”
特朗普关税
拜登政府对贸易事务的低优先级标志着前总统唐纳德特朗普的重大转变，后者将贸易问题作为标志性的重点领域，将关税作为外交谈判的筹码。
当他宣布对外国钢铁出口征收 25% 的税和对外国铝征收 15% 的税时，他在美国和国外引发了一场批评风暴，理由是需要保护美国的制造业基础，并否认关税会提高价格的担忧。
在包括英国在内的盟友打击哈雷戴维森摩托车等美国产品进行报复后，特朗普先生放弃了对包括加拿大在内的某些国家的关税，转而选择配额。
美国总统乔拜登后来与欧盟和日本达成了类似的协议。
这种方法在美国赢得了赞誉，包括联合钢铁工人等团体的赞誉，因为他们在回应盟友的担忧的同时仍为美国制造商提供保护。
由于许多钢铁厂位于关键的选举州，因此保持这些工人的支持对拜登先生来说很重要。
周二，工会赞扬新协议的措施，称其将有助于防止钢铁生产受到不公平补贴，例如对拥有中国母公司的英国钢铁公司进行强制性年度审计。
商业游说团英国钢铁公司也赞扬了这笔交易，称“英国各地的钢铁公司及其员工都会感受到这一点，非常受欢迎”。
但 Flexport 的经济学家 Phil Levy 表示，随着配额的到位，消费者不太可能看到降价等好处。
“用配额制度取代关税实际上正在远离这些事情的透明度，它不会让你享受自由贸易的好处，”他说。
去年，美国和英国的商品贸易额超过 2600 亿美元，其中大部分是来自美国的出口商品，如金属、飞机零部件、石油和天然气。
虽然美国占英国贸易总额的近五分之一，但英国市场仅占美国出口的 5%。
鲍恩先生表示，美国进口的英国钢铁太少，无法达成协议对价格产生重大影响。他说，对于美国产品的英国消费者来说，对价格的影响也可能是微不足道的。
“它不会伤害消费者，所以它会让他们过得更好，但我认为有多少还不清楚，”他说。
随着美国在每 6 英镑的英国出口商品中购买 1 英镑，钢铁紧张局势的降温引发了对更广泛的跨大西洋贸易关系重新升温的希望。
李维斯牛仔裤、哈雷戴维森摩托车、钢筋和波旁威士忌在自 2018 年开始的一场痛苦的战斗中成为不太可能的武器，它们的生产商和消费者付出了高昂的代价。对他们来说，如果迟到，停火将是受欢迎的。
争议的核心是对美国就业的保护。如果——而且还不能肯定——这些事态发展是朝着恢复更广泛的自由贸易谈判迈出的第一步，那么这个主题将继续突出，即使白宫的人已经改变了。
近五个月前，拜登政府与欧盟就钢铁问题达成协议。有人猜测，由于对鲍里斯·约翰逊政府处理爱尔兰脱欧后贸易安排的方式感到不安，英国被迫等待。
英国热衷于通过签订更多贸易协定来展示其在英国脱欧时代的敏捷性——但美国将热衷于继续展示它的主导权。
