Hanoi (VNA)  - The US Department of Commerce(DOC) has announced its affirmative preliminary determinations on theantidumping duty (AD) investigations of the import of tool chests and cabinetsfrom Vietnam and China.

The Vietnam Competition Authority under theMinistry of Industry and Trade late last week announced that the DOC calculateda preliminary dumping rate of 230.31 percent for Vietnam’s producers and exporters. 

The rate for China isfrom 90.40 percent to 168.93 percent.

Merchandise subject to these investigationsis classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)categories 9403.20.0021, 9403.20.0026, 9403.20.0030 and 7326.90.8688, but mayalso be classified under HTSUS category 7326.90.3500.

As a result of the affirmative preliminary determinations, the DOC will instruct the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) torequire cash deposits based on these preliminary rates.

The petitioner of the case is WaterlooIndustries, Inc (Waterloo), which manufactures tool chests at its productionfacility in Sedalia, Missouri.

The DOC is currently scheduled to announce itsfinal determinations on March 22, 2018.

If the department makes affirmative finaldeterminations and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) announces affirmative final determinations that imports of tool chests and cabinets fromChina and Vietnam materially injure, or threaten material injury to, the domesticindustry in the United States, the DOC will issue AD orders. If either the DOC orthe ITC final determinations are negative, no AD orders will be issued.

The ITC is scheduled to make its finalinjury determinations some 45 days after the DOC issues its final determinations,if affirmative.

In 2016, imports of tool chests andcabinets from China and Vietnam were valued at an estimated 230 million USD and 77 million USD, respectively, according to the DOC.-VNA