Taipei, June 10 (CNA) Mexico has slapped anti-dumping tariffs on certain flat coated steel exporters from Taiwan and China after the Latin American country concluded that these firms sold their products at unfairly low prices in its market, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

The MOEA said that Mexico made the announcement earlier this week in a final ruling after an anti-dumping investigation, deciding to impose a 22.26 percent anti-dumping tariff on China Steel Corp. (中鋼), the largest steel maker in Taiwan, for its sales of flat coated steel products.

China Steel was the mandatory respondent in the case. Other Taiwanese exporters face a 52.57 percent financial penalty after Mexico found these Taiwanese flat coated steel firms caused material damage to their counterparts in the Latin America country, the MOEA said.

In addition, Mexico has also imposed a 22.22 percent anti-dumping duty on China's Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. (寶鋼), a 22.26 percent tariff on Beijing Shougang Co. (北京首鋼), Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel Co. (首鋼京唐) and Tangshan Iron & Steel Co. (唐山鋼鐵), according to the MOEA.

Other Chinese steel exporters have been slapped with a 76.33 percent anti-dumping tariff by Mexico, the MOEA added.

The anti-dumping probe kicked off in December 2015 after Ternium Mexico and Tenigal filed a complaint in September, accusing firms from Taiwan and China of dumping flat coated steel in Mexico.

The Bureau of Foreign Trade under the MOEA cited data compiled by Gobal Trade Atlas as saying that Taiwan sold US$24.82 million, US$74.08 million, NT$57.24 million, NT$64.08 million and US$63.04 million worth of flat coated steel products to Mexico, respectively, in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The bureau said that Taiwan was the fourth largest flat coated steel supplier to Mexico in 2016, behind the United States, South Korea and Japan, with a 4.52 percent share of total purchases by the country.

After the Mexican authorities launched the investigation, the bureau said that it provided up to the minute information and legal subsidies to the affected firms to help them navigate the probe.

In May, The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) announced that it has sharply raised its anti-dumping tariffs against China Steel for allegedly dumping certain certain carbon and alloy steel plates in the U.S. market.

The anti-dumping duty against China Steel was hiked from 6.95 percent imposed in March to 75.42 percent, with the DOC citing an initial miscalculation for the revision. 

(By Chen Cheng-wei and Frances Huang) 
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