The United States Department of Commerce has announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of certain steel wheels from China, finding that exporters received countervailable subsidies ranging from 58.75 to 172.51 percent.

As a result of today’s decision, Commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of certain steel wheels from China based on these preliminary rates.

In 2017, US imports of certain steel wheels from China were valued at an estimated $388 million. The petitioners are Accuride Corporation of Evansville, Indiana, Maxion Wheels Akron LLC of Akron, Ohio.

Antidumping duty and countervailing duty laws provide American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfair pricing of imports into the US. Imports from companies that receive unfair subsidies from their governments in the form of grants, loans, equity infusions, tax breaks and production inputs are subject to countervailing duties aimed at directly countering those subsidies. Commerce currently maintains 456 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to US companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.

Commerce is scheduled to issue the final determination on or about January 7, 2019. If Commerce makes an affirmative final determination, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) will be scheduled to make its final injury determination on or about February 21, 2019.  If Commerce makes an affirmative final determination in this investigation and the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue a CVD order.  If Commerce makes a negative final determination or the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.