US affirms anti-dumping duties on Chinese TBR tires

Washington - The US Department of Commerce has made an affirmative preliminary determination in the anti-dumping duty investigation of truck and bus tires imported from China.

Commerce found a preliminary dumping rate of 20.87 percent against one of the two mandatory respondents in the investigation, Prinx Chengshan (Shandong) Tire Co. Ltd., the agency said in a fact sheet it issued 29 Aug.

The other mandatory respondent, Double Coin Holdings Ltd., is not eligible for a separate rate and is part of the China-wide entity dumping rate of 22.57 percent, Commerce said.

For all other producers and exporters in China, the agency determined a preliminary dumping rate of 22.57 percent. These producers and exporters failed to respond to Commerce’s requests for information, it said.

The United Steelworkers union filed petitions for anti-dumping and countervailing duties against Chinese truck and bus tires with the International Trade Commission 29 Jan. Commerce initiated anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations 19 Feb, and the ITC voted 4-2 on 11 March that there was sufficient evidence of material injury to continue the investigation.

Commerce found preliminary affirmative evidence of government subsidies 28 June. It issued preliminary countervailing duty rates of 17.06 percent against Double Coin, 23.38 percent against Guizhou Tyre Co. Ltd. and 20.22 percent against all other producers.

At the request of the USW, Commerce postponed its anti-dumping duty findings by 50 days from the original due date of 7 July. The union said more time was needed to analyse the responses of Chinese tire companies.

As a result of the preliminary determination, Commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to impose the anti-dumping duties retroactively effective 90 days before publication of the document in the Federal Register, according to the Commerce fact sheet.

Commerce’s final determination in the anti-dumping duty investigation is due 17 Jan. If its final determination is affirmative, the ITC will make a final ruling on material injury 3 March.