White House: US decision to block Nippon-U.S. Steel deal was about keeping critical business in American hands

Jan 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Biden's decision to block the sale of U.S. Steel was not about slighting Japan, a key Indo-Pacific ally, but about keeping steel production in the United States, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday.

"This is about U.S. steel-making and keeping one of the largest steel producers in the United States an American-owned company," Kirby said.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter, Editing by Franklin Paul)

((Gabriella.Borter@thomsonreuters.com; 646 223 5942;))