MANILA - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is conducting a parallel investigation into allegations that the Philippines is dumping cheap pipes in the US market at the expense of American manufacturers.

Trade Undersecretary Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. told reporters today that the DTI Bureau of Import Services (BIS) is gathering data to determine if the three to four economic zone-based firms exporting certain oil country tubular goods to the US are selling at prices below production cost.

BusinessDictionary.com defines oil country tubular goods as "pipe and tube products used in petroleum industry, such as drill pipe, pipe casings, oil pipes." 

But Cristobal said the oil country tubular goods sourced from the Philippines may be transhipments coming from China.

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) earlier said it has begun preliminary investigations to determine if nine countries were dumping oil country tubular goods. The products in question have US Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings 7304.29, 7305.20, and 7306.29.

Apart from the Philippines, other countries subjects of the investigation are India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam.

The products in question were "alleged to be sold in the United States at less than fair value and alleged to be subsidized by the governments of India and Turkey," USITC said.

Last July 2, nine US manufacturers, namely Boomerang Tube LLC, Energex (a division of JMC Steel Group), Maverick Tube Corp, Northwest Pipe Co, Tejas Tubular Products Inc, TMK IPSCO, Vallourec Star L.P., Welded Tube USA Inc, and United States Steel Corp, submitted a petition seeking anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations.

USITC had said it expects to conclude its preliminary investigation by August 16, with its views due on August 23.

Cristobal said the DTI will also submit a position paper to the USITC.

July 29, 2013 3:15 PM

By Ben Arnold O. De Vera

Source: interaksyon.com