US may implement safeguard measure on Chinese steel pipes

US may implement safeguard measure on Chinese steel pipes

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters (the Chamber) announced that Washington may implement safeguard measures against imports of Chinese circular welded non-alloy steel pipes or standard pipes. The Chamber said that Washington initiated last week an investigation into imports of circular welded non-alloy steel pipes or standard pipes from China. The investigation was brought about by a petition filed by local producers who claimed they were being harmed by the imports. Beijing asked Washington to allocate a steel pipe quota of 9 million tons for Chinese exporters and to limit annual growth to less than 5 percent till 2010. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is expected to announce in October its decision on whether the US market has been injured by the Chinese imports. The commission's final decision will be published in 2006. An official from the Chamber said that safeguard measures stand as a significant threat to Chinese exporters, more so than antidumping measures, since the former includes all producers while the latter is producer-specific. China's pipe exports to the US in 2004 increased 657.5 percent over the previous year due to increased production in China, where demand for pipes was stagnant.