Will Trump Crush China Over Aluminum?

Obama filed a WTO complaint alleging illegal Chinese subsidies.
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg

Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping haven’t had a chance to size each other up in the same room yet, but a chat over aluminum beer cans may offer the first opportunity.

Among the last-minute actions President Barack Obama took before leaving was a complaint filed with the World Trade Organization alleging China’s subsidies of its aluminum producers were illegally suppressing global prices of metal and putting American smelters on the verge of bankruptcy. It’s a claim that fits perfectly into Trump’s tough talk on trade and could provide an early window into how he intends to deal with China.