Commerce: Keep cold-rolled steel deposits coming

Evidence shows products from Vietnam are made from substrate originating in China and circumventing U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties.

   In an effort to close a backdoor channel for dutiable Chinese steel entering the United States, the Commerce Department said it will continue collecting cash deposits on cold-rolled steel imports from Vietnam.
   According to the department, it has found evidence that these imports from Vietnam are produced from substrate originating in China and circumventing existing U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties on cold-rolled steel from China.
   Commerce has authority under U.S. law to investigate and respond to attempts at bypassing AD/CVD orders when merchandise of the same class is completed or assembled in a third country prior to import into the United States.
   Under Commerce’s order, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will continue to collect antidumping and countervailing duty cash deposits on imports of CORE produced in Vietnam using Chinese-origin substrate at rates of 199.43 percent and 39.05 percent, respectively.  
   CBP also will collect antidumping and countervailing duty cash deposits on imports of cold-rolled steel produced in Vietnam using Chinese-origin substrate at rates of 199.76 percent and 256.44 percent, respectively.  
   These cash deposit rates, which will apply to all unliquidated entries since Nov. 4, 2016, previously were set by Commerce during investigations into cold-rolled steel from China.  
   Commerce said importers and exporters of Vietnamese cold-rolled steel products that are made from substrate originating in Vietnam or a third country have the option to request an exemption from cash deposits by certifying that the substrate originated outside of China.
   According to Commerce, U.S. cold-rolled steel imports from Vietnam increased from $2 million to $80 million after preliminary duties were imposed on these Chinese products in 2015. Similarily, shipments of cold-rolled steel from Vietnam to the United States increased from $9 million to $215 million after preliminary duties were imposed on Chinese products in 2015, the department said.
   Commerce carried out the investigations into diversion of steel substrate from China through Vietnam at the request of U.S. cold-rolled steel producers California Steel Industries, AK Steel Corp. in Ohio, ArcelorMittal USA and Steel Dynamics of Indiana, Nucor Corp. in North Carolina and U.S. Steel Corp. in Pennsylvania.