The antidumping investigation against the imports of cold rolled stainless flat steel from China and Indonesia, which is of critical importance to Turkey’s stainless steel industry, has sparked debate. The investigation was launched by the Ministry of Trade in June this year, following an application made by local producer Posco Assan.
In response, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) representing exporters with annual exports worth around $7 billion to over 200 countries have issued a joint statement. Emphasizing that Turkey does not have fully integrated stainless steel production, the NGOs argued that the investigation is not in the public interest and should be terminated.
NGOs’ main arguments
- Production gap will not be closed: Posco Assan’s capacity covers only one-third of Turkey’s total demand.
- Added comes from service centers: Posco Assan’s cold rolling process creates about eight percent added value in the final product cost, while service centers’ operations provide 12-30 percent added value.
- No dumping: prices of products originating from China and Indonesia are in line with international markets, and no dumped prices have been observed.
- Lack of investment: despite being protected by high customs duties for 12 years, Posco Assan has not invested in semi-finished production or capacity expansion.
- Impact on exports: the new duty would increase costs across the supply chain, putting thousands of SMEs, manufacturers, and exporters in a difficult position.
The joint statement from the NGOs emphasized, “Antidumping measures will not close the production gap, but will only benefit a single rolling mill dependent on imports, while harming thousands of manufacturers, SMEs, exporting sectors, and overall employment.”
