China’s HRC has temporary tariffs: Vietnam steel mills benefit?
Steel NewsDate: 27-02-2025 by: Nhu Quynh
Recently, on February 21, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a decision to apply a temporary anti dumping duty on some hot - rolled coil (HRC) products imported from China. The range of relevant duty rates is 19.38% to 27.83%.
For a more thorough analysis of the situation, read the article from MRS Steel below.
Vietnam imposes an anti-dumping duty on Chinese HRC
Background and causes of the incident
Items under investigation: Hot-rolled coil
HS Code: 7208.25.00, 7208.26.00, 7208.27.19, 7208.27.99, 7208.36.00, 7208.37.00, 7208.38.00, 7208.39.20, 7208.39.40, 7208.39.90, 7208.51.00, 7208.52.00, 7208.53.00, 7208.54.90, 7208.90.90, 7211.14.15, 7211.14.16, 7211.14.19, 7211.19.13, 7211.19.19, 7211.90.12, 7211.90.19, 7225.30.90, 7225.40.90, 7225.99.90, 7226.91.10, 7226.91.90
Plaintiff: Hoa Phat Group and Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation
Period of investigation: 26/7/2024
Duty decision date: 21/02/2025
Cheap imported steel damages the domestic steel industry
Details of the duty decision
The duty rates applicable to Chinese enterprises are as follows:
Baoshan Iron & Steel, Maanshan Iron & Steel: 27,83%
Guangxi Liuzhou Iron and Steel Group: 19,38%.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade collaborated with pertinent organizations throughout the inquiry to examine and evaluate the effects of dumping on the domestic manufacturing industry. The agency also investigated the level of dumping by Indian and Chinese exporters. According to the investigation's findings, HRC steel from India is exempt from anti-dumping duty because the country's import rate is so low, less than 3% despite the evidence of dumping.
The application period is 120 days from the date of effect, and the provisional anti-dumping duty goes into force 15 days after the decision is made. Following the implementation of interim anti-dumping levies, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will keep collaborating with pertinent stakeholders to gather and validate data. It is believed that a temporary anti-dumping tariff must be implemented in order to shield the domestic steel industry from pressure from low-cost imported steel.
The duty takes effect after 15 days and is applicable for 120 days
Impact of this decision
For domestic steel mills
Safeguard domestic steel mills: Enterprises such as Hoa Phat Group and Formosa Ha Tinh Corporation will benefit when cheap steel imports from China are restricted. This helps to reduce unfair competition and promote the development of domestic enterprises.
Increasing domestic output: Domestic steel mills are encouraged to invest in increasing output and raising the caliber of their products when the importation of steel products declines. Additionally, growing output lessens reliance on imports, improving Vietnam's steel industry initiative.
For Vietnam steel industry
Stabilize prices, reduce cheap steel imports: Vietnam's market prices have fallen precipitously as a result of cheap imported steel products from China, making it challenging for local mills to compete. By stabilizing steel prices, tariffs could improve profit margins for domestic steel mills.
Effects on mills that use HRC as a source of input: The implementation of an anti-dumping tariffs on China has restricted the supply of low-cost steel, which has raised production costs and product prices for mills such as Hoa Sen, Ton Dong A, Nam Kim, and others that use HRC as input materials.
For Chinese steel mills
Vietnam is one of the important markets for hot-rolled coils from China. According to 2024 customs data, the amount of HRC imported from China to Vietnam exceeded 10 million tons. However, with anti-dumping duty rates ranging from 19.38% to 27.83%, the competitiveness of Chinese steel in the Vietnamese market has significantly decreased compared to domestically produced products or products imported from other countries.
In addition, along with the risk of trade retaliation, China may apply retaliatory measures, such as increasing duties or tightening imports of goods from Vietnam, especially raw materials or other steel products.
China's supply chain is impacted by tariffs
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