Tool chests from China, Vietnam harm U.S. industry

Increased duties will take effect when the International Trade Commission publishes its final injury determination.

   The International Trade Commission (ITC) has determined that imports of tool chests from China and Vietnam are materially injuring U.S. industry, and the Commerce Department will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess antidumping duties equal to the amount by which the normal value of the merchandise exceeds the export price, or constructed export price, Commerce announced.
   AD duties will apply to unliquidated entries of tool chests from China and Vietnam entered or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption on or after Nov. 16, 2017, the date Commerce published preliminary determinations for imports from both China and Vietnam, but will not include entries occurring after the expiration of the provisional measures period and before publication of the ITC’s final injury determination, Commerce said.
   Per statute, instructions issued pursuant to an affirmative preliminary determination may not remain in effect for more than four months, except when exporters representing a significant proportion of exports of subject merchandise request that Commerce extend that period to six months, the agency said.
   At the request of exporters that account for a significant proportion of tool chests from China and Vietnam, respectively, Commerce extended the four-month period to six months in each case; therefore, the extended provisional measures period ended on May 14.
   Commerce will instruct CBP to terminate the suspension of liquidation and to liquidate, without regard to AD duties, unliquidated entries of tool chests from China and Vietnam entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption after May 14, through the day preceding the date of publication of the ITC’s final injury determination in the Federal Register.
   Commerce will instruct CBP to require cash deposits of 93.94 percent for 14 exporter-producer combinations in China and of 241.12 percent for the China-wide entity.
   Commerce calculated a dumping rate of tool chests from Vietnam of 327.17 percent.
   Sedalia, Mo.-based Waterloo Industries petitioned for the duties.