(March 17): Thailand’s steelmakers are asking their government for more protection as President Donald Trump’s import tariffs stir global fears about a glut of metal looking for other markets.

Trump slapped 25% duties on US steel imports earlier this week, triggering worries among mills worldwide that are already fighting a flood of exports from China. Thailand’s leaders should prevent more damage to the country’s producers, according to the Steel Industry Club, part of the Federation of Thai Industries.

“We are helpless and the government is our only hope,” Pongthep Thepbangchag, the club’s vice president, said in an interview in Bangkok last week. The Thai steel sector “is already in a critical situation with sluggish economic growth, weak consumption and cheap supplies”.

Trump’s tariffs were just the latest in a wave of protectionism sweeping the world’s steel industry, largely in response to rampant Chinese exports. Trade defences can have a snowballing effect as each new measure around the world spurs other nations to protect themselves against rerouted supplies.

Vietnam and South Korea unveiled major anti-dumping duties recently, while the European Union is revising its safeguards and India’s trade authorities have recommended curbs. Thailand already has a 31% tariff on hot-rolled coil — a key steel product — shipped from China.

Steelmakers in Thailand, Southeast Asia’s fourth-biggest steel producer, have been talking with the government about more anti-dumping duties and tighter quality controls to curb imports, Thepbangchag said. Thailand is among China’s top customers for its steel, taking in more than five million tons last year.

The growing pushback against Chinese steel exports is piling pressure on China’s steel industry, which has seen a flurry of speculation this month about potential government-backed production curbs. Exports could decline by as much as 20% this year as trade barriers multiply, according to S&P Global Ratings.

Unease in Thailand’s steel industry mirrors wider concerns across Southeast Asia about rising Chinese exports across a wide range of goods. Countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam have taken steps to tackle rising flows of everything from textiles to plastics, leather, rubber, and even consumer products.

More than 3,500 manufacturing sites in Thailand have shuttered in the past three and a half years, according to a report by local newspaper Thansettakij.

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