U.S. Commerce department announces affirmative preliminary circumvention Rulings on Steel from Vietnam

Last night, U.S. Commerce Department announced preliminary affirmative circumvention rulings on steel imported from Vietnam accusing that corrosion-resistant steel (CORE) and certain cold-rolled steel flat products (cold-rolled steel) imported from Vietnam produced from substrate originating in the People’s Republic of China (China). U.S. law allows commerce department to issue circumvention of AD/CVD orders when merchandise that is the same class or kind as merchandise subject to existing orders is completed or assembled in a third country prior to importation into the United States.

The commerce department has directed the United States’ customs and border protection agency (CBP) to collect anti-dumping (AD) and Countervailing Duty (CVD) cash deposits from importers of CORE produced in Vietnam using Chinese-origin substrate at rates of 199.43 percent and 39.05 percent, respectively. CBP has also been directed to collect AD and CVD cash deposits on imports of cold-rolled steel produced in Vietnam using Chinese-origin substrate at rates of 265.79 percent and 256.44 percent, respectively.

According to Commerce Department, imports of the CORE from Vietnam to the United States increased from two million dollars to $80 million and imports of cold-rolled steel from Vietnam to the United States increased from nine million dollars to $215 million after preliminary duties were imposed on Chinese products in 2015.

The Commerce Department will announce its final determinations on February 16, 2018.