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Ref : EIC 230/2/3/2/13

9 July 2008

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 349/2008

European Union (EU)* : Initiation of an Anti-dumping Proceeding Concerning Certain Seamless Pipes and Tubes of Iron or Steel Originating in the Mainland of China

The European Commission (the Commission) has announced the initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding on imports of certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron or steel originating in the Mainland of China. The notice can be accessed through the following link :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:174:0007:0012:EN:PDF.

DETAILS

2. Salient points are set out below –

   (a) Date of Publication of the Notice	:	9 July 2008
   (b) Product of Coverage	:	Certain seamless pipes and tubes, of iron or steel, of circular cross-section, of an external diameter not exceeding 406.4 mm with a Carbon Equivalent Value (CEV) not exceeding 0.86 according to the International Institute of Welding (IIW) formula and chemical analysis, normally declared within CN codes ex 7304 11 00, ex 7304 19 10, ex 7304 19 30, ex 7304 22 00, ex 7304 23 00, ex 7304 24 00, ex 7304 29 10, ex 7304 29 30, ex 7304 31 80, ex 7304 39 58, ex 7304 39 92, ex 7304 39 93, ex 7304 51 89, ex 7304 59 92 and ex 7304 59 93 (these CN codes are given for information only).
   (c) Procedures	:	In view of the apparent large number of parties involved in the proceeding, the Commission may apply sampling. To enable the Commission to decide whether sampling is necessary and, if so, to select a sample, all exporters/producers, or representatives acting on their behalf should provide information requested in paragraph 5.1 (a) (i) of the notice in question, including contact details, turnover, activities of their company/related companies, and indication of agreement for being included in the sample which implies replying to a questionnaire and accepting an on-the-spot investigation. Such information should reach the Commission within 15 days from 9 July 2008. All interested parties wishing to submit any relevant information regarding the selection of the sample must do so within 21 days from 9 July 2008. The Commission intends to make the final selection of the samples after having consulted the parties concerned that have expressed their willingness to be included in the sample. In order to obtain necessary information for the investigation, the Commission will send questionnaires to the sampled Community industry, any association of producers in the Community, the sampled exporters/producers in the Mainland of China, any association of exporters/producers, the sampled importers, any known association of importers named in the complaint, and the authorities of the Mainland of China. The Commission will also send market economy status claim forms to all exporters/producers in the Mainland of China who have either been included in the sample or named in the complaint, to any association of exporters/producers named in the complaint, and to the authorities of the Mainland of China. Duly substantiated claims for market economy status and/or for individual treatment must reach the Commission within 15 days from 9 July 2008. Exporters/producers requesting for an individual margin should, within 15 days from 9 July 2008, request a copy of the questionnaire from the Commission. They must submit a completed questionnaire within 40 days from 9 July 2008, unless otherwise specified.< Exporters/producers claiming individual margin should however note that if sampling is applied, the Commission may decide not to calculate an individual margin for them if the number of exporters/producers is so large that individual examination would be unduly burdensome and would prevent the timely completion of the investigation. If sampling is applied, exporters/producers sampled must reply to the questionnaires within 37 days from the date of the notification of their inclusion in the sample. All interested parties, if their representations are to be taken into account, must make themselves known by contacting the Commission and present their views and submit questionnaire replies or any other information within 40 days from 9 July 2008, unless otherwise specified. They may also apply to be heard by the Commission within 40 days from 9 July 2008. It is envisaged to choose the United States of America as a market economy country for the purpose of establishing normal value in respect of the Mainland of China. Interested parties are invited to comment on the appropriateness of this choice within 10 days from 9 July 2008. All correspondence must be made in writing (not in electronic format, unless otherwise specified) indicating the name, address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers of the interested party and should be sent to the following address : European Commission Directorate General for Trade Directorate H Office : J-79 4/23 B-1049 Brussels Fax : (32-2) 295 65 05 If interested parties consider that they are encountering difficulties in the exercise of their rights of defence, they may request the intervention of the Hearing Officer, who offers, where necessary, mediation on procedural matters affecting the protection of their interests in this proceeding, in particular, with regard to issues concerning access to the file, confidentiality, extension of time limits and the treatment of written and/or oral submission of views. For further information and contact details, interested parties may consult the Hearing Officer's web pages on the website of DG Trade (http://ec.europa.eu/trade).
   (d) Investigation Schedule	:	Provisional measures may be imposed no later than 9 months from 9 July 2008. Investigation will be concluded within 15 months from 9 July 2008.

BACKGROUND

3. The Commission initiated the proceeding on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Defence Committee of the Seamless Steel Tubes Industry of the European Union on behalf of producers representing more than 50% of the total Community production of certain seamless pipes and tubes of iron or steel. It was alleged that imports of the concerned product originating in the Mainland of China were being dumped, thereby causing material injury to the Community industry.

ENQUIRIES

4. For traders involved in the exports of the subject product in the Guangdong Province, please contact Mr Chen Li-peng, Director of the Bureau of Fair Trade for Import and Export under the Guangdong Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, at telephone no. 8620 3881 9913, or Ms Shuai Hai-yan, Deputy Director, at telephone no. 8620 3881 9915. The Bureau is responsible for, among others, conducting anti-dumping investigations, and guiding and coordinating enterprises in Guangdong Province in responding to anti-dumping investigations against products from the province.

5. For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone no. 2398 5351.

Yours faithfully,

(TANG Yu Him)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.