1 The U.S., which is finalizing its steel-import quotas, is allocating a larger share of its steel market to developing and newly industrialized countries which have relatively unsubsidized steel industries.
2 Meanwhile, the U.S. has negotiated a significant cut in Japan's steel quota, and made only a minor increase to the steel allotment for the European Community.
3 Brazil, similar to Mexico and South Korea, is expected to negotiate a somewhat bigger share of the U.S. market than it had under the previous five-year steel quotas, which expired Sept. 30.
4 Brazil and Venezuela are the only two countries that haven't completed steel talks with the U.S. for the year ending Oct. 1, 1990.
5 In recent years, U.S. steelmakers have supplied about 80% of the 100 million tons of steel used annually by the nation.
6 Of the remaining 20% needed, the steel-quota negotiations allocate about 15% to foreign suppliers, with the difference supplied mainly by Canada -- which isn't included in the quota program.
7 Other countries that don't have formal steel quotas with the U.S., such as Taiwan, Sweden and Argentina, also have supplied steel.
8 Some of these countries have in recent years made informal agreements with the U.S. that are similar to quotas.
9 The Bush administration earlier this year said it would extend steel quotas, known as voluntary restraint agreements, until March 31, 1992.
10 It also said it would use that two-and-a-half year period to work toward an international consensus on freeing up the international steel trade, which has been notoriously managed, subsidized and protected by governments.
11 The U.S. termed its plan, a 'trade liberalization program,' despite the fact that it is merely an extension.
12 Mexico, which was one of the first countries to conclude its steel talks with the U.S., virtually doubled its quota to 0.95% of the U.S. steel market from 0.48% under the previous quotas.
13 South Korea, which had 1.9% under the previous quotas, is set to get a small increase to about 1.95%.
14 That increase rises to slightly more than 2% of the U.S. market if a joint Korean-U.S. steel project is included.
15 Meanwhile, Brazil is expected to increase its allowance from the 1.43% share it has had in recent years.
16 The EC and Japan -- the U.S.'s largest steel suppliers -- haven't been filling their quotas to the full extent.
17 The EC steel industry, which has been coping with strong European demand, has been supplying about 5% of the U.S. market compared with recent quotas of about 6.7%.
18 Japan has been shipping steel to total about 4.5% of the U.S. market compared with a quota of 5.9%.
19 In the recent talks, the EC had its quota increased about 300,000 tons, to 7% of the U.S. market from 6.7% in 1988.
20 But its quota has been as high as 6.9% in 1984.
21 Japan, however, has agreed to cut its quota to about 5% from 5.9% previously.
22 Japan, the EC, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea provide about 80% of the steel imported to the U.S. under the quota program.
23 The balance is supplied by a host of smaller exporters, such as Australia and Venezuela.
24 The U.S. had about an extra 2% of the domestic steel market to give to foreign suppliers in its quota talks.
25 That was essentially made up of a 1% increase in the overall quota program and 1% from cutting Japan's allowance.
26 Negotiators from the White House trade office will repeat these quota negotiations next year when they will have another 1% of the U.S. steel market to allocate.
27 These optional 1%-a-year increases to the steel quota program are built into the Bush administration's steel-quota program to give its negotiators leverage with foreign steel suppliers to try to get them to withdraw subsidies and protectionism from their own steel industries.

The U . S . , which is finalizing its steel - import quotas , is allocating a larger share of its steel market to developing and newly industrialized countries which have relatively unsubsidized steel industries .
newly industrialized countries
Which newly industrialized countries?