New Delhi, April 24 -- India has fired a warning shot in the global steel trade war.

In a move to stem the tide of cheap foreign supply, the Indian government has imposed a 12% provisional safeguard duty on flat steel imports from China and Vietnam. The duty, effective for 200 days, is aimed at shielding domestic producers from a surge in underpriced imports.

The timing is significant. India has become a net importer of steel for the second year in a row, with imports hitting a nine-year high of 9.5 million tonnes in FY25, while exports slumped over 60% to 6.9 million tonnes.

The surge has raised alarms over dumping-especially from China, which has been offloading excess capacity globally as domestic demand slows and tariff tensions wi...