U.S. slaps tariffs on Chinese oil field pipe imports

U.S. slaps tariffs on Chinese oil field pipe imports    The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday said it will impose tariffs of up to 99 percent on imports of Chinese-made oil field pipe.
   According to estimates, the oil field pipe trade case is the largest in U.S. history against Chinese imports valued at more than $2.6 billion in 2008 and about $1 billion last year. It's also the fifth U.S. pipe and tube products dumping case against China since June 2007.
   'China's government and exporters are being told we are fed up with their cheating on our fair trade laws and penalties for these transgressions are long overdue,' said Leo W. Gerard, United Steelworkers president, in a statement.
   Pipe from 38 Chinese producers will be assessed the 29.9 percent duties, while all others will receive a 99.1 percent duty. The Commerce Department tariff margins announced include Jiangsu Changbao Steel Tube Co. at 99.14 percent, and Tianjin Pipe Co., at 29.94 percent.
   Seven U.S. oil field pipe manufacturers and the union filed an antidumping and countervailing duty trade case against the Chinese imports with the International Trade Commission and the Commerce Department on April 8, 2009.
   The ITC in December determined that the Chinese government has been subsidizing its pipe producers, and set duties being collected at levels ranging from 10.3 percent to 15.8 percent on top of the prices the steel pipe was being sold for in the United States.
   Roger Schagrin, trade counsel to the United Steelworkers, said the Commerce Department's order allows the United States to collect a bond that will go into an escrow fund for all future oil field pipe imports. The next step in the trade cases will be an ITC final determination vote on May 10, he said.