THE Trump administration is pressing countries to ally with the United States in pushing back against Chinese trade policies in exchange for relief from American tariffs on steel and aluminum, according to a European official.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been leading negotiations under which countries may be excluded from the tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum. American trading partners and U.S. companies are pressing for exemptions and exclusions from the tariffs, which take effect Friday.

In talks with the United States, Lighthizer has laid out five conditions that countries must address before being excluded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The information was also contained in an internal European Commission document. A second non-U.S. official confirmed the broad outlines of the five conditions.

The qualifications are: limiting steel and aluminum exports to the United States to 2017 levels, actively addressing China’s various trade policies, being more assertive and cooperative with the United States at the G20 Global Steel Forum, cooperating with the United States in launching cases against Chinese practices at the World Trade Organization and enhancing security cooperation with the United States.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Trump signed a proclamation ordering the tariffs March 8, invoking a seldom-used legal clause that gives him the authority to impose trade penalties to protect national security. But he has also sought to leverage the tariffs to achieve other goals. He has threatened to withdraw exclusions for Canada and Mexico if the two nations don’t agree to a new North American Free Trade Agreement that meets U.S. satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Trump has invited any country with which the United States has a “security relationship” to apply for an exclusion, setting off a global lobbying effort to secure relief from the tariffs. (SD-Agencies)