The U.S. Department of Commerce will initiate antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on new pneumatic off-the-road tires from China.
The investigations were initiated in response to petitions filed jointly by Titan International Inc. and the United Steelworkers union in June ("Titan, Steelworkers accuse China of dumping OTR tires," June 19, 2007).
The decision to investigate unfair trade practices in China "is an important first step in the right direction," says Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice Taylor. "Dumping and government subsidies have given Chinese tire producers an unfair advantage in our market, and it is the U.S. industry and American workers who have suffered as a result.
"Titan is committed to ensuring that trade is fair. If these investigations confirm that unfair subsidies and dumping have been occurring, it could result in the imposition of duties on tire imports from China to offset the harm that such practices cause in our market.
"By enforcing U.S. trade laws, we can make sure that everyone plays by the same rules and start to level the playing field for the U.S. tire industry and its workers," says Taylor.
Preliminary determinations in the investigations are expected in October and December of this year.
