US moves back countervailing duty decision

Washington — The US Department of Commerce (DoC) has pushed back its original date of 6 April for a final countervailing duty determination on Chinese passenger and light truck tires.

A spokeswoman for Commerce’s International Trade Administration said the final countervailing duty determination will be issued 12 June, the same date as the final determination on antidumping duties on the same tires.

At the request of the interested parties, the antidumping and countervailing duty determinations were aligned, the ITA spokeswoman said.

The United Steelworkers union filed petitions with the International Trade Commission in June 2014, requesting countervailing and antidumping duties against Chinese tires.

The ITA set preliminary rates for countervailing duties 24 Nov 2014 and for antidumping duties 21 Jan 2015, though in both cases it later lowered those rates.

If the agency makes affirmative final determinations on 12 June, the cases will go to the ITC, which will set the final countervailing and antidumping duty rates.