Chinese refrigerants face US import duties
2nd July 2016USA: Anti-dumping duties on imports of HFC refrigerant blends moved a step closer last week after clearance by the US Department of Commerce.
The Department of Commerce announced its affirmative final determination in the antidumping duty investigation of Chinese imports of HFC blends and components on June 22. The final determination was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday (June 29).
Chinese importers were assigned dumping margins of between 101.82% and 216.37%. These will be imposed if the US International Trade Commission makes a similar affirmative determination on August 1.
The initial antidumping petition was filed by a coalition of US-based manufacturers and other interested parties last June. The American Hydrofluorocarbon Coalition claimed that unfairly traded imports of certain HFC blends and components from China were causing material injury to the US domestic fluorochemicals industry.
The group comprised refrigerant producers Honeywell, Chemours (DuPont), Mexichem and Arkema, along with US refrigerant repacker Hudson Technologies and cylinder manufacturers Amtrol and Worthington Cylinders.
The Coalition claimed that imports from China increased by 60% from 2012 to 2014, and continue to increase. The Chinese producers were said to have injured the US industry by selling the refrigerants at unfairly low prices that consistently undercut the prices of the US producers.
Products covered include R404A, R407A, R407C, R410A, R507A, R32, R125, and R143a, either as single components or in blends.
Chinese R134a is not subject to the scope of this investigation unless in a blend or semi-finished blend containing any of the above. R134a is the subject of a separate investigation, also instigated by the American Hydrofluorocarbon Coalition.
Mandatory respondents Huantai Dongyue International Trade Co Ltd/Shandong Dongyue Chemical Co Ltd and TT International Co Ltd were assigned final dumping margins of 216.37% and 101.82%, respectively. The parties which qualified for separate rates were assigned a final dumping margin of 101.82%. All other producers/exporters in China were assigned the China-wide final dumping margin of 216.37%.
Related stories:
https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/chinese-refrigerants-face-us-duties-of-210/
https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/us-refrigerant-firms-to-fight-chinese-imports/