Law360, New York — U.S. aluminum producers on Monday called on the Obama administration to counter the government support doled out to their competitors in China, which the domestic producers claim is threatening to push them out of the market entirely.

With the launch of the new industry coalition called the China Trade Task Force, the U.S. aluminum smelters have set their sights on the purportedly illegal Chinese government subsidies and leaned on U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman to intervene on behalf of an industry that supports thousands of jobs.

“Illegal Chinese subsidies — such as direct grants, interest free loans, transfers of low cost state owned land, and preferential regulatory treatment — have collapsed the global price of aluminum,” the companies said. “This price drop has forced aluminum smelters across the United States to close while Chinese government continues to prop-up its producers through these unfair and illegal subsidies.”…