Steelmaker Molycop has warned it could lay off 300 jobs—over half of its Australian workforce—if the Anti-Dumping Commission does not agree to raise tariffs on Chinese competitors. President of Molycop’s Australian branch, Michael Parker, told The Australian that the company would consider ending local steel production and instead manufacture their products with cheap Chinese imported steel if their call for raised tariffs is rejected. The American-owned company is the last domestic producer of steel grinding balls, a component used in the processing stage of gold, copper, and lithium mining. While Parker stressed the company did not want to make that decision, it would be impossible to compete with cheap, state-subsidised Chinese-imported steel balls without the tariffs. “We can join the party like everyone else,” he said. “It would be the loss of another sovereign capacity.” Molycop previously submitted an application to the Anti-Dumping Commission in 2016 on the same issue. …