U.S. tire industry harmed by Korea, Taiwan, Thailand tire imports -trade panel (updated)

Yokohama Rubber Co

23/06/2021 19:09

(Adds no immediate comment from Commerce Department, industry
background)
    By David Shepardson
    WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - The United States
International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Wednesday that U.S.
manufacturers are "materially injured" by imports of passenger
vehicle and light truck tires from Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
    The ITC also found subsidized passenger tires from Vietnam
injure domestic manufacturers.
    The Commerce Department as a result of the order "will issue
antidumping duty orders on imports of these products from Korea,
Taiwan, and Thailand, and a countervailing duty order on imports
of these products from Vietnam," the ITC said.
    The ITC also found imports of tire products from Vietnam
sold in the United States at less than fair value "are
negligible and voted to terminate the antidumping duty
investigation concerning Vietnam."
    The Commerce Department did not immediately comment.   
    In 2020, the U.S. Commerce Department opened investigations
into vehicle tire imports from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and
Vietnam in response to petitions filed by the United
Steelworkers (USW) representing workers at U.S. tire plants.
    The union won orders on imported vehicle tires from China in
2015, and Chinese imports have since shrunk dramatically,
allowing the domestic industry to invest in new capacity, the
union said last year.
    The United States imported $4.4 billion in tires from the
four nations in 2020. The USW said previously tire imports from
the four countries had risen nearly 20% since 2017, reaching
85.3 million tires in 2019.
    The USW represents workers at Michelin  MICP.PA , Goodyear
 GT.O , Cooper  CTB.N , Sumitomo  8053.T  and Yokohama  5101.T 
tire plants in Ohio, Arkansas, North Carolina, Kansas, Indiana,
Virginia, New York and Alabama. 


 (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington
Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)
 ((David.Shepardson@thomsonreuters.com
+1 202 898-8324))