Lifting of U.S. steel tariff will affect RI.

(From The Jakarta Post)

Indonesian steel exports to the U.S. will be negatively affected if the latter government lifts its temporary import tariff on the commodity, as ruled by the World Trade Organization (WTO), according to an official of a local industry association.

"If the tariff is lifted, we shall face tougher competition from European Union, Japanese and South Korean producers," executive secretary of the Indonesian Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association (Gapipa) Untung Yusuf told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The WTO issued on Monday a ruling that U.S. steel tariffs violated global trading rules. Although U.S. President George W. Bush …