The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has ruled that domestic dry-freight containers produced in China are not appreciably harming the U.S. domestic container manufacturing industry.
In a final report on the issue, the USITC commissioners decided by a 5-0 vote that “the establishment of an industry in the United States is not materially retarded by reason of imports of 53-foot domestic dry containers… that have been found by the Department of Commerce to be sold in the United States at less than fair value and that have been found by Commerce to be subsidized by the Government of China.”
According to a notice published in the April 17 Federal Register, the Department of Commerce determined that the People’s Republic of China has been providing countervailable subsidies to producers and exporters of 53-foot domestic dry-freight containers. However, the most recent USITC ruling terminates the proceeding. All estimated duties deposited or securities posted are to be refunded or canceled. As a result of the USITC’s negative determinations, no antidumping or countervailing duty orders will be issued on imports of these products from China.
The Commission’s public report 53-Foot Domestic Dry Containers from China (Investigation Nos. 701-TA-514 and 731-TA-1250 (Final), USITC Publication 4537, June 2015) contains the views of the Commissioners and information developed during the investigations.
The ruling follows a multi-step process that spanned more than a year. The Commission gathered U S industry data from Stoughton and Navistar, which the USITC said accounted for all known U.S. production of certain domestic containers. The Commission received responses to its questionnaires from two foreign producers/exporters of subject merchandise (CIMC and Singamas), whose exports to the United States are thought to have accounted for all imports of subject merchandise during the period of investigation and whose production accounted for all known production of certain domestic containers in China. There were no known U.S. imports of certain domestic containers from nonsubject countries.
“During the investigation process, CIMC received overwhelming technical, commercial and legal support from all interest-related parties, particularly US customers,” said Charles Mudd, president of Vanguard National Trailer Corporation, a CIMC subsidiary. “The entire CIMC Team is grateful for the support and confidence from the US market.”