The chief executive officer of Michelin’s Europe North Region has spoken out against “cheap products from Asia and their dumping prices.” In an interview with German newspaper Bild, Anish K. Taneja, who also serves as the president of the German Rubber Manufacturers Association (wdk), emphasised that tyres such as these are not environmentally sustainable, nor are they sustainable for consumers or for local jobs.
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that passenger vehicle and light truck (PLT) tyres imported from Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand are being sold in the USA at prices that materially injure the local tyre industry. In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined that Vietnam’s government is subsidising PLT tyres that are then sold in the USA at “less than fair value.”
The USA will continue to apply anti-dumping and countervailing duties to passenger vehicle and light truck (PLT) tyres from China. The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) decided against ending the charging of duties, which have applied to these products since 2015, after determining that doing so would “likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.” Unsurprisingly, the United Steelworkers union applauds the decision.
Vietnamese officials have interpreted the US Department of Commerce (DOC) anti-dumping investigation preliminary conclusions as “very positive” for Vietnam-produced car tyres. There was even hope that cooperative Vietnam-based tyre manufacturers Local newspapers read this mean Vietnamese tyre factories had been “cleared” by the investigation.
Anti-dumping duties as high as 98% may be applied to passenger vehicle and light truck tyres entering the USA from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on 30 December that it will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of these products.
In the USA the United Steelworkers (USW) union has filed antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions on dumped and subsidized passenger vehicle and light truck (PVLT) tyres with the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission
It’s almost eight months since the European Commission made its final decision regarding anti-dumping duties on new and retreaded truck and bus tyres manufactured in China, and Vipal Rubber is celebrating what it considers an “upturn in the tyre retreading market in Europe.”
The USA has determined the rate of anti-dumping and countervailing duties it will charge on steel commercial vehicle wheels imported from China, and the levels set are high. This month, the US Department of Commerce announced final anti-dumping duties of 231.7 per cent and countervailing duties of 457.1 per cent.
The European Commission reports that applying anti-dumping duties to truck and bus tyres manufactured in China is having the desired effect. According to EC figures, dumped or subsidised imports were 81 per cent lower six months after the measures were imposed than during the investigation period.
In February, the European Commission announced the start of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning steel road wheels imported from the People’s Republic of China. The focus is primarily upon wheels for cars and trucks, however the proceeding also covers wheels for road-going tractors as well as for non-powered vehicles such as trailers, semi-trailers and caravans. The proceeding followed a complaint lodged on 3 January by the Association of European Wheel Manufacturers (EUWA).
Vellco Tyre Control will seek to capitalise on increased optimism in the European tyre retreading market by expanding its casing supply business into new territories. Retreaders of commercial vehicle tyres were given a boost last year when the European Union introduced tariffs on certain new Chinese products in the segment, which have long caused headaches among retreaders due to their low price. The independently owned casing dealer and used tyre specialist from Weaverthorpe, North Yorkshire is engaged in the procurement, grading and sale of tyre casings of all types, including car, van, truck, agricultural, industrial, and earthmover. In addition to targeting selected European clients, Vellco said it would simultaneously consolidate and strengthen its position in key global markets such as South America and Africa.
The European Union has published its definitive decision relating to anti-subsidy duties imposed on Chinese-produced truck tyres imported into the continent. This follows the EU’s final decision on anti-dumping duties, which was released on 18 October 2018. In short, the latest document (which runs to well over 120 pages) demonstrates how large subsidies have supported some Chinese tyre makers. However, it doesn’t mean the overall per tyre rate importers have to pay will change.
One way of avoiding anti-dumping duties applicable to tyres imported from China is not to import tyres from China. This is what Magna Tyre Group is now doing in the USA – the company is meeting increased demand for OTR tyres in this market by expanding its production capacity in Thailand. Tyres made in this facility, comments Magna, are don’t attract tariffs in the USA and thus offer the opportunity for the company to “massively increase our presence on American market.”
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) must reappraise its final determination on truck and bus tyres from China after the US Court of International Trade (CIT) only partially sustained the ITC’s determination that the US tyre industry has been neither materially injured nor threatened with material injury by imports of these products.
Having published its definitive decision on Chinese-produced truck tyre dumping, the European Union has also rejected claims that Pirelli is not related to either China National Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd (CNRC, which is owned by ChemChina) or Aeolus. Therefore, any tyres made by any of the related companies in China have to be subject to comparable import tariffs.
Tyrepress.com / Stephen Goodchild
Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam [MoIT