US Commerce Department's move goes against fair trade

On Tuesday, the United States Department of Commerce abruptly initiated anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duty investigations into Chinese aluminum products, which may lead to punitive import duties.

The move, which for the first time since 1991 was instigated on the Commerce Department's own initiative rather than in response to a request by a US company, is unwarranted and counterproductive.

It erects barriers to normal bilateral trade and does a disservice to the two sides' ongoing efforts to reduce their trade imbalance. It also comes less than a month after US President Donald Trump wound up his maiden trip to Beijing with the signing of business deals worth $250 billion.