China sold stainless steel 257% below market price, alleges US
07 Jun 2018
The United States Department of Commerce on Wednesday announced affirmative final antidumping action on stainless steel imports from China after the Department determined that exporters from China have sold stainless steel flanges in the United States at 257.11 per cent less than fair value.
As a result of today’s decision, Commerce Department will instruct US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue collecting cash deposits from importers of stainless steel flanges from China based on this final rate.
US imports of stainless steel flanges from China were valued at an estimated $21.8 million in 2017.
The Coalition of American Flange Producers and its individual members, including Core Pipe Products, Inc (Carol Stream, IL) and Maass Flange Corporation (Houston, TX), had petitioned the Commerce Department on dumping of stainless steel by Chinese exporters.
The Commerce Department has initiated 114 new anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations since the beginning of the Trump Administration. This is 78 per cent more than the 64 initiations in the last 500 days of the previous administration.
The AD law provides US businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce Department currently maintains 440 anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders, which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to issue its final determination on or around 19 July 2018. If the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, the Commerce Department will issue an AD order on the subject merchandise from China. If the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.
The Commerce Department’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing US trade laws.
Foreign companies that price their products in the US market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to AD duties.