*EPF418 10/25/01
ITC Rules Imports of Japan Pipe Injured U.S. Industry
(Commerce to impose antidumping duties) (210)

Washington -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to impose antidumping duties on U.S. imports of a certain type of steel pipe from Japan.

In an October 25 affirmative final decision, the commissioners voted 6-0 that domestic producers were hurt by imports of the welded large diameter line pipe.

Imposition of antidumping duties requires final affirmative determinations both from the Department of Commerce on dumping and from USITC on injury.

In September the Commerce Department issued its affirmative final dumping determination on these imports. It calculated the dumping margin at 30.8 percent.

The USITC decision allows the U.S. Customs Service to impose antidumping duties equal to the dumping margin on imports of the product that were subject of the investigation.

Dumping is the import of goods at a price below the home-market or a third-country price or below the cost of production. A dumping margin represents by how much the fair-value price exceeds the dumped price.

In 2000 U.S. imports of the line pipe from Japan amounted to $102.4 million.

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
NNNN