On March 20th, the US International Trade Commission ruled that it had decided to terminate the '337 investigation' of the plaintiff, US Steel Company, against Chinese steel because the plaintiff could not prove that it had suffered anti-monopoly damages and did not have the plaintiff qualifications.
At this point, this period lasted nearly two years. The '337 investigation' for China Steel was terminated. The Ministry of Commerce officially responded to this, applauding the outcome of this ruling.
Wang Hejun, Director of the Trade Relief and Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, stated that China appreciates the fact that the US International Trade Commission can respect facts. China and the United States are the two major world economies and are also important trading partners. There are some differences between China and the United States that are understandable. However, it is necessary to respect the facts and deal with relevant cases in a fair and impartial manner. In addition, this case is because Chinese companies are brave enough to take up legal weapons to defend their rights in the face of friction. The Chinese government will also strongly support its own government in safeguarding its own rights and interests.
On May 26, 2016, the US International Trade Commission announced the launch of the '337 Investigation' on China's exports of carbon steel and alloy steel products to the United States, involving 40 steel companies, including Baosteel, Shougang and Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation and their US subsidiaries.
The investigation originated from a complaint filed by the United States Steel Corporation against the above-mentioned companies conspiring to revise product prices in the United States, and controlling production and export volumes, illegally using US steel company trade secrets and using false origins and manufacturers' logos, in violation of the 1930s. Article 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act requires the initiation of an investigation. This is the first time that the United States has initiated a 337 investigation into Chinese steel products. According to the procedure, once the U.S. has ruled that the company has violated the regulations, related products may be permanently banned from entering the U.S. market.
Wang Hejun, director of the Trade Relief and Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, said that this time the accusations included all steel products that China exported to the United States, about 2.8 billion U.S. dollars, involving all Chinese steel export enterprises. This case was able to respond to the Chinese government. Enterprises, associations, close cooperation, dare to take up legal weapons to safeguard their own rights and interests of a successful case, we will also learn from the successful experience in the future, when dealing with other cases, properly deal with trade frictions.