Anti-dumping shields for steel renewed
The government has extended the antidumping duty on cold-reduced carbon steel, both coiled and uncoiled, from China, Vietnam and Taiwan for the next five years to curb supply from the three markets.
According to Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, who chaired yesterday’s meeting of the anti-dumping and countervailing committee, the panel approved extending the penalties because the probe showed that dumping continues unabated.
Thailand has imposed anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 4.22% to 20.11% of cost, insurance and freight (CIF) prices since 2014. The penalty period expired in February 2019 but was extended to February 2020. The latest approval will become effective after February’s expiry date.
In 2018, Thailand’s total import volume of cold-reduced carbon steel totalled 1.053 million tonnes (both coiled and uncoiled), a surge from 892,529 tonnes in the previous year.
Last year, Thailand imported a combined 20,835 tonnes of cold-reduced carbon steel in coils and not in coils from the three markets: 7,575 tonnes from China, 3,107 tonnes from Vietnam and 10,152 tonnes from Taiwan.
The panel yesterday approved extending anti-dumping duties on citric acid from China for another five years at a rate of 57.79% of CIF prices. Last year, Thailand imported 1,528 tonnes of citric acid from China.
Thailand’s domestic consumption for steel products is estimated at 19.3 million tonnes a year, of which 12 million tonnes is imported.
Last Friday, four steel associations called on the government to help promote the use of locally made steel
products in infrastructure development.
The groups also asked the government to come up with a policy to support the use of domestically made steel products, particularly steel wire rods and reinforced steel bars, in state infrastructure projects.
Megaprojects tipped to require ample steel include the high-speed rail network linking three airports, the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway project, mass transit projects, the U-tapao airport extension and the third-phase development of Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut seaports.