Malaysia has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on Japanese cold-rolled steel coils after the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) concluded its investigation earlier this year. At the same time, Malaysia also announced the end of trade defense measures on cold rolled steel imported from Vietnam.1. Malaysia: Anti-dumping investigation on Japanese cold rolled steelAccording to MITI's report, Malaysia's steel plate demand in 2022 reached 3.5 million tons, down 5.4% compared to the previous year. In the same year, import and export of steel plates both decreased by about 6-7% compared to 2021. Meanwhile, Malaysian cold-rolled steel prices remained highly competitive due to the massive import of cheap steel from abroad.This posed a significant threat to the development and business operations of domestic factories. Therefore, the Malaysian government is forced to take trade defense measures to protect the domestic market to a certain extent.On January 31, 2023, the authorities conducted an AD investigation on cold-rolled coils of iron or non-alloy steel with a width above 1300mm from Japan. The affected products are classified under the following HS code groups: 7209.15.00 00, 7209.16.10 00, 7209.16.90 00, 7209.17.10 00, 7209.17.90 00, 7209.18.99 00, 7209.25.00 00, 720 9.26. 10 00, 7209.26.90 00, 7209.27.10 00, 7209.27.90 00, 7209.28.90 00, 7209.90.90 00, 7211.23.20 00, 7211.23.90 00, 7211.29.2 0 00, 7211.29.90 00, 7211.90. 11 00, 7211.90.12 00, 7225.50.90 00, 7225.99.90 00, 7226.92.10 00 and 7226.92.90 00.2. Malaysia: Applying anti-dumping duty on Japanese cold rolling millsOn September 29, 2023, Malaysia imposed anti-dumping duties on Japanese cold-rolled coils of iron or non-alloy steel with thickness of 0.2-2.6mm and width of 700-1300m after completing the investigation. Accordingly, the Malaysian government has imposed a duty rate of 9.03% on Nippon Steel Corporation and 22.62% on other manufacturers, effective until September 28, 2028. However, due to the benefits of black plate and cold-rolled steel coils for the automobile, electronics industries are so great, Malaysia has excluded AD for these products.3. Malaysia: Ending anti-dumping measures on Vietnam's cold-rolled steelAccording to the Trade Defense Department, on March 21, 2019, MITI initiated an investigation of cold-rolled coils of iron or non-alloy steel with a width above 1300mm imported from Japan, Korea, China and Vietnam.By December 17, 2019, the government had applied definitive anti-dumping duty rates as follows: China 4.76% - 26.38% of the CIF value, Japan 26.39% of the CIF value, Korea 7.7% or 20.13% of the CIF value. This rate is effective for 5 years, from December 25, 2019 to December 24, 2024.In addition, other products from Vietnam and Korea are also under investigation including alloy/non-alloy cold rolled steel coils with thicknesses 0.2 - 2.6mm and widths 700 - 1300mm. The case has undergone many sunset reviews and received a decision to continue imposing anti-dumping duty, effective until October 8, 2026 at a rate of 0 - 21.64% for Korea and 7.42 - 33.7% for Vietnam. However, under the petition efforts of the Vietnamese government, MITI founded that Vietnam did not violate export conditions, the dumping margin was less than 2% of the export price. Therefore, Malaysia ended anti-dumping measures on the above products. In conclusion, Malaysian importers continue to enjoy preferential duty rates and cheap, quality steel sources from Vietnam.Vietnam is proud to be one of Malaysia's largest steel exporters with 653.7 million USD of iron and steel of all kinds and 48.1 million USD of steel products in 2022. Additionally, Vietnam and Malaysia are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). There are many favorable opportunities for increased trade and two-way economic cooperation. If customers have any questions about the latest policies and procedures for importing Vietnamese steel, please contact MRS Steel via Email vanloc@mrssteel.com.vn for the most thoughtful support.
