US tariffs may lead to China flooding Europe with cheap aluminum

Marian Năstase, the chairman of Alro, Romania’s leading aluminum company, expressed his concern that the new US tariff policy might cause a shift in the export direction of aluminum products from Asia, especially from China and Indonesia. Since 2017, the US has repeatedly imposed additional tariffs on Chinese aluminum products. In February 2025, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all aluminum products imported into the US, which may block the re-export trade channels for Chinese aluminum products and prompt some of the aluminum products originally destined for the US to seek other markets. Europe could become a potential destination.

As a major global aluminum producer, China has a strong competitive edge in the fields of aluminum plates, bars, tubes, and the machining of aluminum products, relying on its strong production capacity and high – cost – performance advantages. In Europe, due to the impact of the energy crisis, aluminum production has declined, and there is a high demand for imported aluminum products such as plates, bars, and tubes. Under such circumstances, the US tariff policy has led to changes in trade flows, and the European market may see more aluminum products from China, which will impact the local aluminum producers in Europe.