On September 21, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced in the Federal Register the final results of its antidumping (AD) duty and countervailing duty (CVD) administrative review for certain seamless carbon and alloy steel standard, line and pressure pipe from China.
As a result of its administrative review covering January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009, the US DOC has determined the following final dumping margins for the respondents:
- Exporter Tianjin Pipe International Economic and Trading Corporation / Producer Tianjin Pipe (Group) Corporation - 48.99 percent (preliminary margin - 22.67 percent);
- Exporter Hengyang Steel Tube Group Int'l Trading Inc. / Producers Hengyang Valin Steel Tube Co., Ltd., and Hengyang Valin MPM Tube Co., Ltd - 82.03 percent (preliminary margin - 91.93 percent);
- Exporter Xigang Seamless Steel Tube Co., Ltd. / Producers Xigang Seamless Steel Tube Co., Ltd., and Wuxi Seamless Special Pipe Co., Ltd. - 65.51 (preliminary margin - 57.30 percent);
- Exporter Jiangyin City Changjiang Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. / Producer Jiangyin City Changjiang Steel Pipe Co., Ltd - 65.51 percent (preliminary margin - 57.30 percent);
- Exporter Pangang Group Chengdu Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. / Producer Pangang Group Chengdu Iron & Steel Co., Ltd - 65.51 percent (preliminary margin - 57.30 percent);
- Exporter Yangzhou Lontrin Steel Tube Co., Ltd. / Producer Yangzhou Lontrin Steel Tube Co., Ltd - 65.51 percent (preliminary margin - 57.30 percent);
- Exporter Yangzhou Chengde Steel Tube Co., Ltd. / Producer Yangzhou Chengde Steel Tube Co., Ltd - 65.51 percent (preliminary margin - 57.30 percent);
- China-wide rate - 98.74 percent (preliminary margin - 98.37 percent);
The petitioners in the case filed on September 16, 2009 are the United States Steel Corporation, V&M Star LP, TMK IPSCO, and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union.
After reviewing the record evidence, in line with its preliminary determination, the DOC finds in its final results that there is reason to believe or suspect that critical circumstances exist for imports of the subject merchandise from Hengyang and the China-wide entity but not for TPCO or the separate-rate companies, which include Xigang.
In its final countervailing duty (CVD) review determination on the same product group issued on the same day, the DOC came to the conclusion that mandatory respondents Hengyang and TPCO should receive final net subsidy rates of 53.65 and 13.66 percent (compared with preliminary rates of 12.97 and 11.06 percent) respectively. All other Chinese exporters will receive a final net subsidy rate of 33.66 percent (compared with a preliminary rate of 12.02 percent). In the same CVD determination, the DOC also determined in final that ‘critical circumstances' exist for China-wide producers/exporters of seamless pipe including Hengyang, except for TPCO.
On March 19, the DOC announced that it had decided to align the CVD and the AD administrative reviews for the product group mentioned and publish their final results on the same day. On January 7, 2010, US Steel made a critical circumstances allegation with respect to TPCO and Hengyang for both reviews.
The merchandise covered by the investigation is currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under item numbers: 7304.19.1020, 7304.19.1030, 7304.19.1045, 7304.19.1060, 7304.19.5020, 7304.19.5050, 7304.31.6050, 7304.39.0016, 7304.39.0020, 7304.39.0024, 7304.39.0028, 7304.39.0032, 7304.39.0036, 7304.39.0040, 7304.39.0044, 7304.39.0048, 7304.39.0052, 7304.39.0056, 7304.39.0062, 7304.39.0068, 7304.39.0072, 7304.51.5005, 7304.51.5060, 7304.59.6000, 7304.59.8010, 7304.59.8015, 7304.59.8020, 7304.59.8025, 7304.59.8030, 7304.59.8035, 7304.59.8040, 7304.59.8045, 7304.59.8050, 7304.59.8055, 7304.59.8060, 7304.59.8065, and 7304.59.8070.