India likely to impose duties on Chinese truck tires

LONDON — India's antidumping body has established that the country's tire manufacturers are being "injured" by imports from China and may impose antidumping duties of more than $450 per metric ton of pneumatic radial tires with rim sizes above 16 inches used on buses, lorries and trucks.

In a ruling published Aug. 1, the Indian commerce ministry's investigation arm — Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Sduties (DGAD) — concluded that domestic companies had suffered material injury due to the dumped imports of these tires from China.

Investigations started following an application filed by the country's Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ATMA) on behalf of Apollo Tyres Ltd., JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. and Ceat Ltd.

The probe covered more than 30 Chinese tire manufacturers, including Shandong Yinbao Tyre Group Co., Aeolus Tyre Co., Shandong Hengfeng Rubber & Plastic Co. and Zhongce Rubber Group Co.

The DGAD suggested duties ranging between $277.53 and $452.33 per ton for various tire makers, with Aeolus and Qingdao Yellow Sea Rubber receiving duties at the lowest end of the range. While the DGAD suggests the duty, the finance ministry is responsible for imposing it.

The DGAD has recommended "imposition of definitive antidumping duties on the imports" of these tires from China, the agency said in a notification.

According to figures in the report, TBR imports from China rose considerably in the past few years, exceeding 30,000 tons in 2015 from just over 4,000 tons in 2012.

By contrast, imports from other countries fell to under 14,000 tons in 2015 from 21,000 tons in 2012