Commerce finds subsidies in Chinese steel fitting imports

The Commerce Department preliminarily determined that Chinese exporters of forged steel fittings to the United States receive countervailable subsidies, and is scheduled to announced its final countervailing duty determination July 24.    The Commerce Department has preliminarily determined that Chinese exporters of forged steel fittings to the United States receive countervailable subsidies.
   These subsidies are generally given by foreign governments to companies based on their export performance or use of domestic inputs over imports.
   In its countervailing duty investigation, Commerce has calculated a preliminary subsidy rate of 13.79 percent for BothWell (Taizhou) Steel Fittings Co., and applied a similar subsidy rate to all other Chinese producers and exporters of forged steel fittings.
   Commerce has now instructed Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from U.S. importers of forged steel fittings from China based on these preliminary rates.
   According to the department, imports of forged steel fittings from China in 2016 were valued at $78.4 million.
   The petitioners for the Commerce investigations include Bonney Forge Corp. of Mount Union, Pa.; and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union in Pittsburgh.
   Commerce said it’s scheduled to announce its final countervailing duty determination on July 24.
   If the department makes an affirmative final determination in this investigation and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue a countervailing duty order. If Commerce makes a negative final determination, or the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will end and no order will be issued.