*WASHINGTON – On the eve of renewing talks to try to defuse the spiralingtrade dispute with China, the US Commerce Department hit the country withimport duties of 132 percent on metal pipe.*
Commerce said China was selling the large diameter welded pipe used in theoil and gas industry far below the fair price, and that dumping harms USindustry, according to the preliminary decision.
US imports of the pipe from China last year totaled $180 million.
Although this case is a separate from the series of punitive tariffs thatPresident Donald Trump has imposed on thousands of Chinese goods, it isanother example of the aggressive tactics against Beijing to try to protectUS industry and lower the trade deficit.
Canada also was found to be dumping the product, and will face duties ofover 24 percent, while India was slapped with a tax of over 50 percent,Commerce said.
Greece and Korea will face 22 percent duties, while Turkey will be chargedup to five percent.
Six US pipe manufacturers filed the antidumping complaint with the CommerceDepartment in January.
Commerce said it will make a final ruling in November on whether the pipefrom China and India is dumped into the US market.