Trump Condemns Chinese Factories. China Is Already Closing Some.<br />“I just hope this factory can operate again.”<br />Officials in Washington say that China has too many steel and aluminum factories — and many Chinese officials agree.<br />President Trump imposed steep new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports last week, amid complaints from American companies<br />that the Chinese government props up too many wasteful factories.<br />Even as China makes veiled threats to retaliate against the United States, it is forcing many Chinese<br />companies to close wasteful, polluting factories to fix its economy and clean up its skies.<br />China produces more than half of the world’s steel and aluminum<br />but exports only small amounts to the United States, thanks to strong demand at home, existing American tariffs and other reasons.<br />The two factories, in Chengkouzhen and Zouping, show how Chinese officials will help some factories even as they allow others to close.<br />Still, China contends that it is addressing its wasteful factory problem and that American tariffs are unnecessary.<br />But here in the small Chinese town of Chengkouzhen, officials last year let the factory go idle.<br />They worry that the American tariffs will end up hitting the business, or that the government may decide to let the factory close after all.<br />Even before the tariffs, China’s vast steel exports to the rest of the world were falling,<br />stemmed by Beijing’s efforts to shrink the industry as well as by improved demand at home.
