May warns China against '˜cheap steel' in G20 talks with president

Theresa May is to urge China to stop flooding the market with cheap steel in talks with its president at the G20.

The UK’s steel industry has been devastated by a wave of cheap Chinese exports.

The Prime Minister will say “increased action” is needed to reduce over-capacity when she meets president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the two-day summit in Hamburg, a senior Number 10 official said.

Mrs May will also repeat her call for China to do more to stop North Korea’s missile testing programme.

Beijing is facing widespread international pressure to use its influence over its ally following the latest launch. Mrs May led demands yesterday morning for an international effort to tackle terror funding as G20 leaders gathered for the first session of the summit.

Action must be taken to choke off the funding for terrorists that is being funnelled through international financial institutions, she said.

The premier was given a prime spot at the table as leaders gathered for a working lunch, seated near host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and next to Donald Trump.

Mrs May will meet the US President for talks today, where she will raise concerns over his decision to pull America out of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The Prime Minister said she hopes President Trump will take America back into the international deal. “I will continue to give the message that the United Kingdom believes in the importance of the Paris Agreement,” she said.