Commercial Information Circular

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

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

18 October 2019

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 754/2019

European Union (EU)* : Initiation of anti-subsidy proceeding on certain hot rolled stainless steel sheets and coils originating in, inter alia, the Mainland of China

The European Commission (the Commission) has published a notice initiating an anti-subsidy proceeding concerning imports of certain hot rolled stainless steel sheets and coils originating in, inter alia, the Mainland of China on the basis of a complaint lodged on 26 August 2019 by Eurofer, the European Steel Association on behalf of EU producers representing the entirety of the total production of certain hot rolled stainless steel sheets and coils in the EU. The notice is available at:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52019XC1010(03)&from=EN.

2.The product under investigation is flat-rolled products of stainless steel, whether or not in coils (including products cut-to-length and narrow strip), not further worked than hot-rolled, and excluding products, not in coils, of a width of 600 mm or more and of a thickness exceeding 10 mm, currently falling under HS codes 7219 11, 7219 12, 7219 13, 7219 14, 7219 22, 7219 23, 7219 24, 7220 11 and 7220 12. Please refer to the notice for the detailed product description. All interested parties wishing to submit information on the product scope must do so within 10 days from 10 October 2019.

3.To enable the Commission to decide whether sampling is necessary, and if so, to select a sample, all exporting producers in the Mainland of China, or representatives acting on their behalf are requested to provide the Commission with the information requested in Annex I to the notice. All exporting producers selected to be in the sample will have to submit a completed questionnaire within 30 days from the date of notification of the sample selection, unless otherwise specified. Non-sampled cooperating^# exporting producers wishing to claim an individual subsidy amount must fill in the questionnaire and return it duly completed within the same deadline.

4.All interested parties wishing to comment on the complaint or aspects regarding the initiation of the investigation must do so within 37 days from 10 October 2019. They may request to be heard by the Commission's investigation services. A request for hearing with or intervention of the Hearing Officer, who reports directly to the Commissioner for Trade of the EU, may also be made. Hearing requests should be made in writing, specifying the reasons for the request, within 15 days from 10 October 2019. Please refer to the notice for further deadlines and details.

5.For traders involved in the exports of the subject product from the Guangdong Province, please contact Li Xuefei, Director of Trade Remedy and Industry Injury Investigation Division under the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, at 8620 3881 6201. The Division is responsible for, among others, guiding and coordinating enterprises in Guangdong Province in responding to trade defence investigations against products from the province.

6.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Ronnie CHUI)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU member countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, 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.

^# Companies that have agreed to their possible inclusion in the sample but are not selected to be in the sample will be considered to be cooperating.