*EPF308 10/16/2002
USITC Ends Investigation of Steel Imports from 15 Markets
(U.S. industry not hurt, trade body says) (280)

By Andrzej Zwaniecki
Washington File Staff Writer

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted against imposing duties on imports of cold-rolled steel from 15 markets.

In an October 16 final ruling USITC said that imports of cold-rolled carbon steel flat products from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, China, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Venezuela did not hurt domestic producers.

As a result of the USITC negative determination the investigations will be terminated, and no duties will be imposed.

In a September final ruling the Commerce Department said that cold-rolled steel products from all 15 countries were dumped on the U.S. market. It calculated dumping margins ranging from 4 to 137 percent.

Commerce also made a final positive determination in parallel subsidy cases ruling that producers or exporters from Brazil, France and Korea benefited from government subsidies. It calculated subsidy rates ranging to about 14 percent.

In July antidumping investigations on imports of cold-rolled steel from Australia, India, Japan, Sweden, and Thailand were ended after USITC ruled that these imports had not injured domestic producers.

Imposition of antidumping duties requires final affirmative determination both from the Department of Commerce that dumping occurred and from the USITC that the imports injured or threatened U.S. industry.

Similarly, imposition of countervailing duties requires final affirmative determinations from Commerce on subsidy and from USITC on injury.

Dumping is the sale of an export good at a price below the home-market or a third-country price or below the cost of production. The dumping margin is the price difference expressed as a percentage of the export price.

In 2000 imports from all countries under investigation, including Australia, India, Japan, Sweden and Thailand, amounted to almost $904 million dollars. By volume, they accounted for almost 71 percent of all cold-rolled steel imports.

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

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