WASHINGTON—The Commerce Department's International Trade Administration has made an affirmative preliminary determination in its antidumping duty investigation of passenger and light truck tires imported from China.
The preliminary China-Wide Rate for Chinese tire exporters and producers was 87.99 percent, Commerce said. Giti Tire Global Trading Pte. Ltd. and its subsidiaries were found to have a dumping rate of 19.17 percent, and Sailun Group Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries had a dumping rate of 36.26 percent, the agency said.
Commerce found 65 “Separate Rate Companies” to have dumping margins of 27.72 percent. These companies, listed separately at the end of the news release, included such famous names as Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Bridgestone Corp., Goodyear Dalian Tire Co. Ltd., Hankook Tire China Co. Ltd. and Pirelli Tyre Co. Ltd.
Commerce is instructing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require cash deposits from Chinese tire exporters, based on these preliminary rates. The agency said it would announce its final determination in the antidumping case on or about June 12.
The International Trade Commission is expected to make its final determination on whether the dumped tires caused material injury to the U.S. tire industry in July 2015. If both Commerce and the ITC make final affirmative determinations in the case, the antidumping duties will become official.
The United Steelworkers union filed petitions with the ITC in June 2014, asking for antidumping and countervailing duties against Chinese passenger and light truck tires under Sections 701 and 731 of the Trade Act.
Commerce made a preliminary affirmative determination in the countervailing duty case on Nov. 24, setting preliminary countervailing duties for most producers at 15.29 percent. Later, however, the agency reduced that rate to 12.03 percent.