Commerce sets countervailing duties on tubing imports

The Commerce Department has established duty rates to counter Chinese and Indian government subsidies that support U.S. imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing.    The Commerce Department has affirmed countervailing duty rates for imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing from China and India.
   The department has determined that Chinese and Indian manufacturers of this product receive subsidies from their respective governments based on their export performance or use of domestic materials over imports. The imports cause “market-distorting” effects on U.S. manufacturers of this tubing, Commerce said.
   In its China countervailing duty investigation, Commerce calculated final subsidy rates of 21.41 percent for Jiangsu Hongyi Steel Pipe Co. Ltd. and 18.27 percent for Zhangjiagang Huacheng Import & Export Co. Ltd., respectively. The department set a rate of 19.84 percent for all other Chinese producers and exports.
  Commerce, in its India countervailing duty investigation, calculated final subsidy rates of 8.02 percent for Goodluck India Ltd. and 42.6 percent for Tube Investments of India Ltd. The department also set a rate of 22.41 percent for all other Indian producers and exporters.
   Commerce has now instructed Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits from U.S. importers of this product based on these final rates.
   The petitioners of these investigations included ArcelorMittal Tubular Products of Ohio, Michigan Seamless Tube in Michigan, Webco Industries in Oklahoma, and PTC Alliance Corp. and Zekelman Industries, both of Pennsylvania.
   In 2016, Commerce estimated that imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing from China and India were valued at $29.4 million and $25 million, respectively.
   The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is scheduled to make its final injury determinations for these countervailing duty investigations by Jan. 18, 2018. If the ITC makes affirmative final determinations that imports of cold-drawn mechanical tubing from China and India harm domestic industry, Commerce will issue countervailing duty orders. If the ITC makes negative determinations of injury, the investigations will end.