The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China and Mexico.
In the China and Mexico investigations, Commerce made affirmative determinations, finding that exporters received countervailable subsidies at rates ranging from 30.30 to 177.43 percent, and 0.01 (de minimis) to 74.01 percent, respectively. In the Canada investigation, Commerce made a negative determination, finding that exporters received countervailable subsidies at de minimis levels ranging from 0.12 to 0.45 percent.
Based on these preliminary determinations, the Department of Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of fabricated structural steel from China and Mexico.
In 2018, imports of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China and Mexico were valued at an estimated $722.5 million, $897.5 million, and $622.4 million, respectively.
The petitioner for these investigations is the American Institute of Steel Construction Full Member Subgroup, Chicago, Illinois.
The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump Administration. Since the beginning of the current Administration, Commerce has initiated 172 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations – this is a 219 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.
Antidumping and countervailing duty laws provide American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 488 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
Commerce is currently scheduled to announce its final CVD determinations on or about November 19, 2019.
If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will be scheduled to make its final injury determinations on or about January 2, 2020. If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations in these investigations, and the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue CVD orders. If Commerce makes negative final determinations, or the ITC makes negative final determinations of injury, the investigations will be terminated and no orders will be issued.
Published in the August 2019 Edition