The provisional safeguards will remain in place for 200 days from October 25, expiring on May 13, 2019.

The products affected by the safeguards include concrete reinforcing bars, and wire rods as well as heavy plate, energy tubular products, hot-rolled sheet, pre-painted steel, and stainless steel wire.

The provisional safeguard measures will be imposed through a quota system and a tariff rate of 25% for the quantities imported beyond the quota volumes. The quota threshold will be based on the average volume of the goods subject to the safeguards imported over selected periods in 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. An additional limit will also be imposed on the share of the total quota that may be filled by producers in a single country for each steel product category equal to the historically highest import share from that country.

To be able to import a shipment of goods that are the subject of safeguards without the application of the 25% surtax, a permit must be issued for each shipment by Global Affairs Canada, based on meeting the relevant quota threshold. This permit can only be requested beginning with the day that is five days prior to the shipment’s arrival in Canada, and will expire 14 days after it is issued.

Certain countries will be excluded from the safeguard measures including the United States, Mexico (with the exception of energy tubular products and wire rod), Chile, Israel and countries whose economies are considered developing. In the case of Vietnam, while it will be exempt on six of the categories of steel products due to its status as a developing country, exports from that country of rebar products will be subject to the safeguard measures.

The Chilean government accepted the recommendation of the country’s price distortion commission, CNDP, and has decided to apply definite duties ranging from 28.8 to 38.0 percent over the imports of Chinese origin wire rod. The duties were effective as of April 22, 2017, and will last for one year.

According to the Chilean government, the anti-dumping duties will be implemented as follows:

• Benxi Beitai Gaosu Steel Wire Rod Co : 28.8 percent
• Jiangsu Shagang Group Co. Ltd : 30.8 percent
• All other Chinese exporters will pay a 38.0 percent duty.

The Chilean government said the products subject to the levies fall under the local HTS codes: 7213.2000, 7213.9110, 7213.9120, 7213.9190, 7213.9900, 7227.1000, 7227.2000 and 7227.9000. Cold heading quality (CHQ) wire rods were excluded from the anti-dumping duties.

Chile’s current decision replaces a previous resolution applied to the same product, in which Mexican rebar was paying a provisional ad-valorem 11 percent tariff. The products subject to the 9.8 percent tariff currently fall under the following Chilean HTS codes 7213.1000, 7214.2000, 7227.9000 and 7228.3000.

Depending on the outcome of CNDP’s meeting, Chile could extend the tariff for one more year or longer. Currently, Mexican rebar pays a provisional antidumping (AD) tariff of 11 percent, which was reduced from 13.1 percent, following a resolution published at the nation’s official gazette, Diario Oficial, in late September.

The products subject to the 11 percent provisional, ad valorem tariff currently fall under the following HTS codes 7213.1000, 7214.2000, 7227.9000 and 7228.3000.

According to the filing, Deacero exported rebar to Chile at lower prices. CNDP used ex-works export prices from Monterrey as well as effective export prices as a base for comparison. Media reports this week added the two companies, CAP Acero and Gerdau, are claiming a 27.5 percent tariff over the imports of the Mexican product.

Chilean press said Turkish imports are also being sold to Chile at lower prices, but so far none of the companies have requested AD investigations over the Turkish origin steel exports to Chile.

The Chilean producer reportedly blamed the Chinese imports of the product for the “damages” it has caused to the local steel industry, as wire rod imports from China have reached “significant volumes”. According to same media reports, CAP Acero said it wants to prevent more damages to the local steel industry. In its request to CNDP, CAP Acero argued that China was the world’s main wire rod exporter in 2014, selling 11 million mt of the product overseas, while Chilean imports of the steel from the Asian country have increased five times in the 2011-2015 period.

CAP Acero stopped its flat steel production and idled a blast furnace in June 2013, as a result of the competition with the imported steel and due to the decline of steel prices. CAP Acero said the current “distortions” in the long steel market, such as in the case of wire rod, threatens the sustainability of its operations.