US to issue final duty orders on tyre imports from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam

HOUSTON (ICIS)–The US Department of Commerce will move forward and issue final antidumping duty (ADD) orders on imports of passenger vehicle and light truck tyres from South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Commerce will also issue a countervailing duty (CVD) order on imports of these tyres from Vietnam.

On Wednesday, the International Trade Commission (ITC) determined that the US tyre industry was materially injured by imports from South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

Vietnam had been part of the original ADD investigation that launched last year, but the ITC ruled Wednesday that imports from Vietnam were negligible.

Commerce determined in May that tires from all four countries were being sold in the US at less than fair value and that countervailable subsidies were being provided to producers and exporters of the tires from Vietnam.

In its final determination today, however, the ITC terminated the antidumping investigation against Vietnam.

Duties have been paid since Commerce’s preliminary determination in January that the investigation should continue.

The final estimated weighted-average dumping margins are as follows:

South Korea
Exporter/Producer	Dumping Rate
Hankook Tire & Technology	27.05%
Nexen Tire Corp	14.72%
All others	21.74%
Taiwan
Exporter/Producer	Dumping Rate
Cheng Shin Rubber Ind	20.04%
Nankang Rubber Tire Corp	101.84%
All others	84.75%
Thailand
Exporter/Producer	Dumping Rate
LLIT Thailand Co	21.09%
Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand)	14.62%
All others	17.08%

Commerce determined the countervailable subsidy rates to be:

Vietnam
Exporter/Producer	Subsidy Rates
Kumho Tire (Vietnam) Co., Ltd	7.89%
Sailun (Vietnam) Co., Ltd	6.23%
All others	6.46%

SBR is used in tyres, basement waterproofing systems, building applications and rubber cutting boards.

Major North American SBR producers include Dynasol, Goodyear Tire & Rubber and Lion Elastomers.

Focus article by Amanda Hay