Tariff Update: DOC Says Duties Should Be Imposed on Tires from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations of passenger vehicle and light truck tires exported to the U.S. from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
The DOC says it has "preliminarily determined that exporters have dumped passenger tires in the United States" at rates of 14.24% to 38.07% for South Korea, 52.42% to 98.44% for Taiwan, 13.25% to 22.21% for Thailand and up to 22.30% for Vietnam.
"As a result of today’s decisions, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of passenger tires from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, based on the preliminary rates noted above."
The DOC is scheduled to announce its final determinations in these cases on or about May 14, 2021, unless the deadline is extended.
"If Commerce’s final determinations are affirmative, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will be scheduled to make its final injury determinations on or about June 28, 2021. If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations of dumping and the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue AD orders. If Commerce makes negative final determinations of dumping or the ITC makes negative final determinations of injury, the investigations will be terminated and no orders will be issued."
The DOC valued 2019 imports of passenger tires from the countries under investigation as follows:
- $1.17 billion for South Korea;
- $373.0 million for Taiwan;
- $1.96 billion for Thailand, and;
- $469.6 million for Vietnam.
In addition, the DOC says its concurrent countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of passenger tire imports from Vietnam remains ongoing.
The DOC adds that it has initiated 306 new AD and CVD investigations since the start of the Trump Administration – "a 278% increase from the comparable period in the previous administration."
MTD will continue to report on this story as it develops.
