The Wall Street Journal: Scott Patterson | May 11, 2017 | 7:03 a.m. ET:
A complex web of deals shows how aluminum firm China Zhongwang was able to route metal around the globe
Money from state-run Chinese companies was used to help finance the buildup of a massive aluminum stockpile that has crisscrossed the globe, depressed prices and sparked a criminal investigation in the U.S., according to business records, emails and people with direct knowledge of the transactions.
Any such involvement by these entities could further strain relations between China and the U.S., which says Beijing undercuts global competition by giving government assistance to its commodity companies. Aluminum is among several commodities that the Trump administration has singled out for potential protectionist policies against cheap Chinese imports.
The stockpile in question involves nearly a million tons of aluminum products from China that began accumulating outside a factory in a Mexican desert.
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