Mô tả

The Trade Remedies Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) announced that the South African International Trade Administration (ITAC - South Africa's trade remedy investigation agency) has issued Notice No. 768 regarding the final conclusion in the safeguard investigation case concerning imported corrosion-resistant steel coils.

Accordingly, on December 27, 2024, ITAC initiated a safeguard investigation into imported corrosion-resistant steel coils. On January 17, 2025, ITAC terminated this investigation and simultaneously restarted the case under Notice No. 2931 in South African Official Gazette No. 51903. The petitioner is ArcelorMittal South Africa Limited (AMSA) - the main producer of the investigated product within the African Customs Union (SACU). The petition is supported by SAFAL Steel (Pty) Ltd, another producer of a similar product within the SACU.

The goods under investigation are flat-rolled steel products made of iron or non-alloy steel, with a width of 600 mm or more, coated with aluminum-zinc alloy, and a thickness of less than 0.45 mm, under HS codes 7210.61.20 and 7210.61.30; and flat-rolled steel products made of other alloy steel, with a width of 600 mm or more, coated with zinc, and a thickness of less than 0.45 mm, under HS codes 7225.92.25 and 7225.92.35.

According to the Trade Remedies Department, ITAC used data from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2024, to assess the increase in imports and the serious damage to the SACU manufacturing industry. Furthermore, on June 27, 2025, ITAC published its Preliminary Conclusion, recommending the application of provisional safeguard measures at 52.34% by value to the investigated product for a period of 200 days prior to the issuance of the Final Conclusion.

Based on information gathered during the investigation, comments from interested parties, and hearings, ITAC concluded that unforeseen developments led to an increase in imports; the increase in imports was sudden, strong, and significant; the domestic SACU industry is suffering serious damage; and other factors such as market contraction, increased input costs, energy, and transportation do not negate the causal relationship between the increased import volume and the serious damage to the domestic industry.

ITAC recommends that the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of South Africa apply formal safeguard measures to corrosion-resistant steel coils with a thickness of less than 0.45 mm under HS codes 7210.61.20, 7210.61.30, 7225.92.25 and 7225.92.35. The recommended safeguard duty rates are to be reduced gradually as follows: Year 1: 52.34%; Year 2: 37.34%; Year 3: 22.34%.

The recommended measures apply to imports from all countries, except developing countries which are excluded by regulation due to individual imports not exceeding 3% of total imports and total imports not exceeding 9%.

Notably, in the list of developing countries excluded from safeguard measures accompanying Report No. 768, Vietnam is named as an excluded country because its import volume does not exceed the prescribed threshold. Therefore, based on the current conclusion of ITAC, goods originating from Vietnam are not subject to the aforementioned safeguard duties. This is a positive outcome for Vietnamese export businesses.

However, businesses still need to continue monitoring the official application document and any changes to the scope of exclusion in the future. In addition, ITAC recommends expanding the tax refund/exemption mechanism under refund codes 460.15/7210.61/01.06 to allow for the refund/exemption of safeguard duties for certain product categories; and also requires monitoring the selling prices of the plaintiffs after the measures are applied to avoid disadvantaging downstream industries due to unreasonable price increases.

The ITAC's conclusion essentially maintains access to the South African market for goods originating from Vietnam at present, which is a positive outcome for Vietnamese businesses. However, the changing nature of safeguard measures and the periodic review mechanism require businesses to continuously monitor the situation to respond promptly.

The Trade Remedies Department recommends that businesses continue to closely monitor official legal documents from South Africa, especially the final application decisions and implementation guidelines from customs authorities. They should also proactively develop contingency plans in case the goods are reinstated under the tariff scope in subsequent reviews.