US Trade Agency Votes to Continue OTR Tyre Dumping Claims
The United States International Trade Commission has voted to further investigate the joint petition presented by Titan International and the United Steelworkers in the wake of accusations of foul play on the part of Chinese OTR tyre manufacturers and China’s government. The Commission voted 6 to 0 in favour of continuing the investigation into alleged dumping of OTR tyres onto the US market and illegal government subsidies.
According to the International Trade Commission, 18 per cent of all OTR tyres sold in the US during 2006 were sourced in China, a US$306 million chunk of the market. As this percentage is growing year on year both Titan and the union see China as a growing threat to both US based OTR tyre manufacturers and the almost 4,000 workers they employ, and have stated their opinion that imposing duties on Chinese OTR tyre imports is the only means by which the tide of cheap imports may be stemmed.
“We are very encouraged that the Commerce Department voted to proceed with the investigation, 6-0,” said Titan chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr. “We still have a long way to go, but the important part of this whole process is determining what is fair and lawful. The American working men and women can be as competitive as anyone in the world, but when foreign governments subsidise and carry unlawful trade practices, then the US government must even the playing field.”