I don’t know how old your linked article is, as it’s behind a paywall, but according to different sources aluminum US tariffs on aluminum were already implemented or increased in June 2018.
Trump introduced 25% tarif in March 2025 which was doubled to 50% in June 2025. Another source
does that mean Chinese companies are copying US ones on this?
Trump administration imposed tariffs on EU steel in March 2025. Did China also impose tariffs on EU steel in the meantime? Or, why should chinese companies copy the american companies?
The report is a compendium of unsourced claims made by an executive of an US aluminium company Novelis. There is an older piece by FT with more serious sources. It has no mention of China. However, it says:
Washington has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium, but not on scrap. As a result, US smelters have increased purchases of European scrap to produce fresh metal and avoid tariffs.
When were those LNG contracts between Russia and European countries signed and what is their expiry date? That is the important information that is missing from the guardian report.