India set to impose anti-dumping duties on Chinese TBR tires

London - India's anti-dumping body has established that the country’s tire manufacturers are being 'injured' by Chinese imports and may impose anti-dumping duties of over $450 per tonne on Chinese pneumatic radial tires with rim sizes above 16” used on buses, lorries and trucks.

In a ruling published 1 Aug, the Indian commerce ministry's investigation arm - directorate general of anti-dumping and allied duties (DGAD) – concluded that domestic companies had suffered material injury due to the dumped imports of these tires from China.

Investigations started following an application filed by the country’ Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA) on behalf of Apollo Tyres, J K Tyre Industries and Ceat Ltd.

The probe covered more than 30 Chinese tire manufacturers, including Shandong Yinbao Tyre Group Co., Aeolus Tyre Co., Shandong Hengfeng Rubber & Plastic Co. and Zhongce Rubber Group Co.

The DGAD suggested duties ranging between $277.53 per tonne and $452.33 per tonne for various tire-makers, with Aeolus and Qingdao Yellow Sea Rubber receiving duties at the lowest end of the range. While the DGAD suggests the duty, the finance ministry imposes it.

DGAD has recommended "imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties on the imports" of these tires from China, the agency said in a notification.

According to figures in the report, TBR imports from China rose considerably in the past few years, reaching over 30,000 tonnes in 2015 from just over 4,000 tonnes in 2012.

By contrast, imports from other countries fell from 21,000 tonnes a year in 2012 to under 14,000 tonnes in 2015.