Reported at www.abc.net.au: Australia is negotiating for an exemption from new US tariffs on aluminium, which are set to take effect on March 12.

While the Trump administration has indicated a willingness to consider Australia’s request, it also claims that Australia has violated a prior verbal agreement by significantly increasing aluminium exports to the US.

Despite these tensions, Australian aluminium constitutes only a small fraction of the US market, raising questions about the claims that Australia is endangering the US aluminium industry.