Trade Cases

Turkey Challenges U.S. OCTG CVD Duties
Written by Sandy Williams
March 14, 2017
Turkey has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization against U.S. countervailing duties placed on imports of pipe and tube products. Turkey requested the WTO initiate dispute consultation with the United States alleging the U.S. determination and imposition of duties was inconsistent with the WTO’s Agreement on Subsidies and Countevailing Measures (SCM Agreement) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994.
The complaint covers certain Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG), Welded Line Pipe, Heavy Walled Rectangular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes and Circular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes.
In the complaint, Turkey says the U.S. did not consider all relevant information on pricing for hot rolled steel which is used in manufacturing pipe, was inconsistent with the SCM Agreement in using facts available and adverse inferences in calculating subsidy rates, and inappropriately based its injury determinations on cumulated imports which included imports from countries not subject to CVD investigations or reviews.
The complaint covers CVD determinations made on a the various products and in sunset reviews between 2014 and 2016
In January 2017, Namik Ekinci, chairman of the Turkish Steel Exporters’ Association, wrote an op-ed for Global Trade Magazine stressing that the Turkish steel industry is composed of “private companies that are in no way subsidized by the government.”
Wrote Ekinci,“The U.S. not only imposes duties without a good cause but also makes amendments in its trade case legislation in favor of domestic producers. To this end, the US trade case authorities decided on unsatisfactory grounds that Turkish steel companies failed to cooperate and started to arbitrarily charge high margins on our companies in the light of “facts available”. The final decisions of almost all trade cases are taken to the relevant U.S. court (the Court of International Trade) on grounds of unlawfulness, and our companies are obliged to seek their rights before this court.”
Ekinci added, “Employing the trade remedy system in a way to prevent fair competition means undermining the WTO rules. We think this attitude by the U.S. sets a bad example for other countries and jeopardizes global free trade.”

Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Trade Cases

OCTG industry salutes Customs for catching trade crooks
The US OCTG Manufacturers Association is commending US Customs for intercepting another Thai company's attempt to illegally transship Chinese oil pipe to the US.

Price: Is It Nippon Steel USA or a partnership? And what does that mean for imports?
The document makes clear that Nippon Steel, through Nippon Steel America, will have “100% ownership of [the] common stock.” So if you want to own an interest in U.S. Steel’s future success, you will need to buy shares in Nippon Steel on the Nikkei stock exchange. It certainly will not be in your domestic S&P 500 ETF.

CSPA, USW say Canadian government’s steel action ‘falls short’
CSPA, USW disappointed in Canadian government's actions on steel.

Canada, mirroring the US, plans to take harder line on imported steel and aluminum
The actions, which includes tariffs, are necessary to protect the Canadian market from global overcapacity. They are also needed because other countries have redirected material to Canada as a result of higher US tariffs, Carney said.

Industry cautiously optimistic despite lack of steel specifics in US-UK trade deal
Details of a new tariff-rate quota on US imports of British steel are lacking in the new US-UK trade deal.