Customs announce further investigation into alleged dumping
The Australian newspaper of February 12 carried an advisement from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (“Customs“) announcing the commencement of an investigation into the alleged dumping of hot rolled plate steel from China, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan together with an investigation into alleged subsidisation of hot rolled plate steel exported to Australia from China.
According to the notice, the goods subject to the application are flat rolled products of:
- iron;
- non-alloy steel;
- non-heat treated alloy steel of a kind commonly referred to as Quench and Tempered (“Q&T“) Green Feed; and
- of a width greater than 600 millimetres with a thickness equal to or greater than 4.75 millimetres not further worked than hot rolled, not in coils with or without patterns in relief.
Goods excluded from the investigation are:
- 250 megapascal (MPa) yield strength grades of plate steel with a thickness greater than 150 millimetres;
- 350 MPa yield strength grades of plate steel with a thickness greater than 100 millimetres;
- Q&T Green Feed grades of plate steel with a thickness of greater than 105 millimetres; and
- heat treated Q&T grades of plate steel.
The goods are classified to the following tariff subheadings in Schedule 3 of the Customs Tariff Act 1955 being;
- 7208.40.00 (statistical code 39);
- 7208.51.00 (statistical code 40);
- 7208.52.00 (statistical code 41); and
- 7225.40.00 (statistical codes 22 and 24).
As many would be aware, there have been a number of investigations regarding the alleged dumping or subsidisation of goods of steel products from Asia including Hollow Steel Sections, Hot Rolled Coil Steel and various types of Galvanised Steel. Again as with recent investigations, the applicant is BlueScope Steel Limited.
Should you wish to discuss further please don’t hesitate to contact us.