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U.S. Imposes Anti-Dumping Duty on Indian, Chinese Steel Flanges

“The United States will not sit back and watch as our domestic businesses are destroyed by unfair foreign government subsidies and dumping,” U.S Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.

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After the United States found in its preliminary investigation that India and China provided subsidies to exporters, the Trump administration decided to slap an anti-dumping duty on the stainless steel flanges imported from the two countries, PTI reported.

The department of commerce found that exporters from China and India have, respectively, sold stainless steel flanges in the United States at 257.11 per cent and 18.10 to 145.25 per cent less than fair value, according to an official statement released on March 21.

The commerce department then directed the U.S Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of the stainless steel flanges from China and India, based on these preliminary rates. Imports of stainless steel flanges from China and India were valued at an estimated $16.3 million and $32.1 million, respectively in 2016.

This decision comes close on the heels of the anti-dumping duty put on finer denier polyester staple fiber from the very same countries in January. The department of commerce was reported to have found that exporters from China and India received subsidies of 41.73 to 47.55 per cent and 9.50 to 25.28 per cent, respectively.

The investigation by the department was prompted by a petition by the Coalition of American Flange Producers, which included Core Pipe Products Inc. (Carol Stream, IL) and Maass Flange Corporation (Houston). “The United States will not sit back and watch as our domestic businesses are destroyed by unfair foreign government subsidies and dumping,” U.S Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

“This administration is taking fair and transparent action on behalf of American industry to defend businesses and workers while we continue reviewing the facts related to this decision,” he said.

Since last January, the commerce department has initiated 102 anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations, which is a 96 per cent increase from Jan. 20, 2016 through March 20, 2017, the statement said.

The commerce department will announce final determination in these investigations in June.

The U.S. anti-dumping law provides the country’s businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism for relief from the harmful effects of unfair pricing of imports. Commerce currently maintains 428 anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade, the statement said.

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