R&P News (subscription required) is reporting that Chinese passenger tire imports into the U.S. fell by more than 50 percent in October from September following the Sept. 26 imposition of higher duties, according to recently released trade data. The U.S. raised duties on Chinese consumer tires to 39 percent from 4 percent Sept. 26 in response to a trade action brought earlier in the year by the United Steelworkers union. The additional duties fall to 30 and 25 percent in the second and third years of the period under scrutiny.
For comparison purposes, I have provided the year-to-date figures from the US ITC below.
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Chinese Tire Imports into the United States by Month, 2009
Codes: 40111010 and 40112010
| Passenger Tires | ||||||
| 000 units | ||||||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | |
| Total | 6546 | 6182 | 7808 | 8005 | 8159 | 8776 |
| % China | 41.8% | 34.1% | 40.5% | 44.1% | 43.4% | 37.9% |
| China | 2735 | 2107 | 3160 | 3527 | 3540 | 3323 |
| Truck Tires | ||||||
| 000 units | ||||||
| Total | 1694 | 1519 | 1879 | 1763 | 1841 | 1853 |
| % China | 38.8% | 22.6% | 30.1% | 32.2% | 36.2% | 37.3% |
| China | 657 | 344 | 566 | 568 | 666 | 692 |
| Passenger Tires | ||||
| 000 units | ||||
| July | Aug | Sept | Oct | |
| Total | 9544 | 9649 | 9671 | 7181 |
| % China | 43.0% | 46.6% | 45.1% | 22.1% |
| China | 4108 | 4496 | 4364 | 1588 |
| Truck Tires | ||||
| 000 units | ||||
| Total | 1771 | 2191 | 2278 | 2121 |
| % China | 41.8% | 38.3% | 34.1% | 19.7% |
| China | 740 | 840 | 776 | 417 |