Commerce adjusts countervailing duties on tires made in China

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Commerce has made a slight downward adjustment in the countervailing duty rates on passenger and light truck tires imported from China during the 2016 calendar year.

Commerce published the final results of an administrative review of those duties in the April 25 Federal Register. At that time, the agency found a countervailable subsidy rate of 16.37 percent for Cooper (Kunshan) Tire Co. Ltd., 15.75 percent for Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd. and 16.17 percent for non-selected companies under review.

However, on May 6, Cooper filed a petition with Commerce, claiming the agency made a clerical error in how it calculated the benefit to Cooper from the provision of synthetic rubber and butadiene for less than adequate remuneration, according to a June 17 notice correcting the error.

Under the new calculations, Cooper now will pay a countervailing duty of 15.47 percent, while non-selected companies will pay 15.56 percent. The rate for Sentury remains unchanged at 15.75 percent.