The Ministry of Commerce has launched an investigation into imports of Chinese rolled steel for evading anti-dumping measures.
The investigation includes hot-rolled steel sheets in coil and non-coil form from 17 manufacturers in China, according to a ministry statement published on Sept 15.
“There is sufficient evidence that there is avoidance of anti-dumping duties and so an investigation is warranted,” the statement said.
The announcement comes after four Thai steelmakers lodged a complaint with the Foreign Trade Department.
The Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand recently called on the new government to help the industry given its strategic importance to the economy.
It noted that Thailand imports some 63% of the steel it consumes, which seems unusually high compared with the average of 22% for other countries in the region. The value of imported steel products exceeds that of exports by some 200 billion baht a year, said Mr Somsak.
Somsak Leeswadtrakul, a steel tycoon and senior director of the institute, said the world steel market had been affected by the slowdown of the real estate sector in China.
He urged the new government to enforce the Anti-Dumping and Anti-Circumvention Act to prevent companies from allegedly adding alloys to hot-rolled steel coil, aimed at avoiding the law against imported hot-rolled coil.