More Chinese steel wheels investigated

Commerce has initiated antidumping and countervailing duty probes of imports.    The Commerce Department has initiated new investigations to determine whether imports of Chinese steel wheels with 12- to 16.5-inch diameters are being dumped on the U.S. market at less than fair value and receive unfair subsidies from the Chinese government.
   The investigations are based on petitions filed by Elkhart, Ind.-based Dexstar Wheel, a division of Americana Development, on Aug. 8.
   The petition alleges that the dumping margins for the steel wheel imports range from 30.48 percent to 44.35 percent. In the countervailing duty investigation, Commerce will determine the level of Chinese government subsidies for this product.
   According to Commerce, U.S. imports of 12- to 16.5-inch diameter steel wheels from China in 2017 were valued at $73.8 million.
   If Commerce makes affirmative findings in these investigations, and if the International Trade Commission (ITC) determines that the Chinese steel wheels are either dumped or unfairly subsidized in a manner that harms U.S. industry, Commerce will then impose duties on those imports. Commerce plans to announce its preliminary determinations for its countervailing and antidumping duty investigations by Nov. 1 and Jan. 15, respectively.