Trade Cases
DOC Investigates Circumvention on OCTG from China
Written by Sandy Williams
November 5, 2020
The Department of Commerce has self-initiated an investigation into the circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duty orders on oil country tubular goods from China.
Commerce said on Thursday that it will investigate whether hot rolled steel sheet and strip from China is exported to Brunei and the Philippines for minor processing before being exported to the U.S. as OCTG.
Shipments of welded OCTG from Brunei to the United States increased in value from zero during 2014-2016 to $29 million during 2017-2019. Shipments of welded OCTG from the Philippines to the U.S. increased in value from $69 million to $105 million, comparing import data from the same periods.
If the preliminary investigation is affirmative, Commerce will order the collection of cash deposits on imports of OCTG completed in Brunei and the Philippines using Chinese-origin inputs. For products found to be circumventing the AD and CVD orders, duties will be imposed on future imports and on any unliquidated entries since the date Commerce initiated these inquiries.
The investigations are the eighth and ninth self-initiated (without a complaint from industry) by Commerce under the Trump administration. During the past four years, Commerce has initiated 29 new anti-circumvention inquiries.
Sandy Williams
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