The governments of Chile, Peru and Canada in mid-April objected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s ordering of an investigation into copper imports on the grounds that they could threaten U.S. security interests. In letters to the U.S. Commerce Department, the major copper exporters said their exports of the metal to the United States pose no such threat and should not face new duties. The three countries provide 94 percent of U.S. imports of refined copper and copper alloys, according to the Trade Data Monitor. What’s behind the Trump administration’s probe into copper imports? How could the results of the investigation lead to further changes in U.S. trade policy? How could a disruption in copper shipments to the United States affect the economies of Chile, Canada and Peru?
Jessica Bedoya, founding managing partner of the LARA Fund and former National Security Council deputy senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs (2018-2020): “It should come as no surprise that the Trump administration is looking at copper imports as part of its strategy to correct for the United States’ gross over reliance on foreign markets for critical materials. The real question is how to correct for it, and how to use this as an opportunity to strengthen North-South ties. The United States imported roughly $17 billion in copper products in 2024, mostly from Chile and Canada, with Peru and the Democratic Republic of the Congo following suit. However, the United States produces more than half of what it consumes. Imports, mostly from the Americas, fill the remainder…”
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Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg
Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan
Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue
Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education
Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.
James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies
Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil
John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group
Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos
Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates
Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting
Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi
Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA
Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados
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