US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Thursday that it has initiated investigations into certain imports of stainless steel flanges from the Philippines and found that there is "a reasonable suspicion" that these imports have evaded the appropriate payment of antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) duties.
According to CBP, stainless steel flanges sold by a Philippine producer, EN Corporation (also known as Enlin Corporation), should be treated under the law as Chinese product for purposes of the AD and CVD duties. As a result of its findings, CBP has imposed interim measures on certain importers of stainless steel flanges from the Philippines, directing that all such imports will be subject to AD/CVD duties.
Earlier this year, AD/CVD orders were issued against stainless steel flanges from India and China, with combined duties as high as 400 percent. The imports from the Philippine producer have been found to be stainless steel flanges that were forged in China and therefore are covered under the existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders.