US Sets Preliminary Tariffs Of Up To 222% On Chinese Ceramic Tile Imports - Commerce Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2019) The Trump administration has escalated its trade conflict with China by giving the go-ahead to impose new tariffs of up to 222 percent on Chinese ceramic tiles imports, the US Department of Commerce said in a press release on Tuesday.

"Today, the US Department of Commerce announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of ceramic tile from China, finding countervailable subsidy rates ranging from 103.77 to 222.24 percent," the release said.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be ordered to collect cash deposits from importers of ceramic tile from China based on those preliminary rates, the Commerce Department said.

In 2018, imports of ceramic tile from China were valued at an estimated $483.1 million, the department added.

Since the Trump administration took office in January 2017, the Commerce Department has launched 182 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations - a 231 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.