U.S. Commerce: Chinese televisions dumped on U.S. market

U.S. Commerce: Chinese televisions dumped on U.S. market       The U.S. Commerce Department has ruled that color televisions made in China are being dumped on the American market.
   Dumping is the import of goods at a price below the home-market or a third-country price or below the cost of production.
   The Commerce Department calculated the dumping margins range up to 78.45 percent. A dumping margin represents by how much the fair-value price exceeds the dumped price.
   The imposition of antidumping duties requires final determinations from both the Commerce Department and International Trade Commission (ITC) that indeed the Chinese color televisions injure U.S. industry. The ITC plans to make its final determination in May.
   Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been instructed to collect cash or a bond on imports of Chinese color televisions equal to the dumping margin. The agency will return the money if the agencies issue a negative determination, the Commerce Department said.
   The Commerce Department calculated the dumping margins as follows:
   * Konka Group Co., Ltd. — 11.36 percent.
   * Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., Ltd. — 24.48 percent.
   * TCL Holding Co. Ltd. — 22.36 percent.
   * Xiamen Overseas Chinese Electronic Co., Ltd. — 4.35 percent.
   * All others — 21.49 percent.
   * China-wide — 78.45 percent.
   According to Commerce, U.S. imports of Chinese color televisions in 2003 were valued at $276.4 million, up from $23.9 million in 2001.
   The department recently concluded a parallel dumping case on color television imports from Malaysia, but found that the dumping margin was negligible.