USA to introduce antidumping, countervailing orders on PLT tyres from 4 countries

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.”

Based upon these determinations, Commerce intends to issue antidumping duty orders on PLT tyres imported from Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand and a countervailing duty order on imports from Vietnam.

The USITC will publish its report, Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires from Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam (Inv. Nos. 701-TA- 647 and 731-TA-1517-1520 (Final), USITC Publication 5212, July 2021), by 28 July 2021.

USW: Long-term, sustainable solutions needed

The United Steelworkers (USW) union welcomes the determination. “Time and time again USW members lead the fight to protect their jobs and their communities from the devastating effects of unfair trade and ensure a level playing field for domestic producers,” said USW International president Tom Conway. “This case was no different. I’m proud of all the hard work our members do every day, not just in making high-quality tyres but also in safeguarding this vital industry.”

The USW filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions against the four countries on 13 May 2020. Seven representatives of the USW, including Conway, testified in support of the petitions at an ITC hearing last month. “We’re grateful that the ITC affirmed what USW members see every day: a deliberate effort to undercut our domestic industry and overtake our market,” Conway adds.

Kevin Johnsen, who chairs the USW’s Rubber/Plastics Industry Conference, comments that the USITC’s decision is an important step toward levelling the playing field for domestic tyre makers, but it must not be the last. “We need long-term, sustainable solutions for bad trade.

“While we are grateful for the work of both the ITC and the Commerce Department, our current system is clearly broken,” Johnsen adds. “Before we can get remedies, we must demonstrate harm in the form of lost jobs and reduced market share. By that time, American workers are already suffering. We can and must do better.”

The USW is the largest North American union in tyre manufacturing, representing workers at the following PLT tyre manufacturing facilities in the USA: Cooper Tire’s plants in Findlay, Ohio, and Texarkana, Arkansas; Goodyear’s plants in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Topeka, Kansas; Michelin’s plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Sumitomo’s plant in Tonawanda, New York; Yokohama’s plant in Salem, Virginia; and Kumho Tire’s plant in Macon, Georgia.