Trade Cases

China Objects to EU Antidumping Duties
Written by Sandy Williams
October 9, 2016
China’s Commerce Ministry criticized the European Union for antidumping duties imposed Friday on imports of hot rolled steel and plate. The Ministry called the investigation methods unfair.
A spokesperson for the Ministry said Chinese steel imports cannot be affecting EUs steel prices because they only account for 5 percent of the European market.
“Reckless trade protectionism and mistaken methods that limit fair market competition are not the proper ways to develop the European Union steel industry,” the Ministry posted on its website.
In its statement, the Ministry claimed the EU investigation used methods reserved for non-market economies which were “unfair and unreasonable” and “seriously damage the interests of Chinese enterprises.”
In a press conference in September, the Ministry took issue with the number of trade cases that have been filed against China during the first eight months of 2016. According to the ministry, 20 countries initiated as many as 85 trade remedy cases on Chinese steel exports during the period. Among those are 35 initiated by the US and 15 by India, said the Ministry.
The European Commission has 15 antidumping and subsidy measures currently in place on steel products originating in China. Twelve more investigations are still ongoing.

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Trade Cases

Price on Trade: IEEPA tariffs head to the Supreme Court, DOJ ramps up trade enforcement
International trade law and policy remain a hot topic in Washington and beyond this week. We are paying special attention to the ongoing litigation of the president’s tariff policies and the administration’s efforts to heighten trade enforcement.

Mexico considers stiff tariffs for steel, autos, and other imports
Mexico is considering imposing steep tariffs on imports of steel, automobiles, and over 1,400 other products. Its target? Countries with which it does not have free trade agreements, mainly China, India, Thailand, and other South Asian nations.

Leibowitz: With ‘reciprocal’ tariffs struck down again in court, what happens next?
President Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Policy Act (IEEPA) were struck down again, this time on Aug. 29 by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). The legal and policy mess continues, with the next stop being the US Supreme Court.

Market unfazed by US circuit court’s IEEPA decision
Repealing any reciprocal tariffs placed by President Donald Trump on US imports of direct reduced iron (DRI), iron ore, hot-briquetted iron (HBI), and pig iron would have only a nominal impact on the US steel market, market participants said.

ITC votes to keep HR duties after sunset review
The US government determined this week that hot-rolled steel imports from a handful of countries continue to threaten the domestic steel industry.