US finds Asian tire dumping likely to recur if duties lifted

Washington – The US Department of Commerce has concluded that revoking antidumping duties on passenger and light-truck tires from South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand would likely result in continued or renewed dumping.

In the final results of its five-year sunset reviews published 30 Sept, Commerce calculated dumping margins likely to prevail at up to 27.05% for South Korea, 101.84% for Taiwan and 21.09% for Thailand.

The antidumping orders were originally imposed in July 2021 (ERJ report) and Commerce launched their first five-year reviews in June.

At the time, Commerce found that exporters have dumped passenger tires in the US at rates of: 14.24% to 38.07% for South Korea; 52.42% to 98.44% for Taiwan; 13.25% to 22.21% for Thailand; and 0% to 22.30% for Vietnam.

In its latest announcement, the US agency said it conducted 'expedited reviews' of the duties this summer after receiving “substantive responses” from US domestic interested parties but no substantive responses from respondent interested parties.

The findings form part of a broader review of US trade measures covering Asian passenger and light-truck tire imports.

Separately, Commerce concluded that countervailable subsidies on Vietnamese tires would also be likely to continue or recur if the country's countervailing-duty order were revoked.

In final results of its first five-year sunset review, published 5 Oct, Commerce assigned likely subsidy rates of 7.89% for Kumho Tire Vietnam, 6.23% for Sailun Vietnam and 6.46% for all other producers and exporters.

Commerce imposed the original countervailing duty order on Vietnamese passenger and light-truck tires in July 2021 and launched the first sunset review in June this year.

The US International Trade Commission has meanwhile opted to conduct full five-year reviews covering the measures on passenger and light-truck tires from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.