Argentina opens antidumping investigation into Chinese constant velocity joints and tripods

The Ministry of Economy has declared the opening of an expiry review and a review of changed circumstances regarding the antidumping measures imposed on imports of “cross-joints and tri-joints” originating from the People’s Republic of China, without maintaining the application of said duties while the procedure is ongoing. This is established by Resolution 1291/2026 (RESOL-2026-1291-APN-MEC), signed on August 16 and published in the Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic on August 19, 2026.

The measure applies to goods classified under the MERCOSUR Common Nomenclature tariff heading (N.C.M. 8708.99.90) and is processed under file EX-2026-49442090-APN-DGDMDP#MEC. The opening was requested by the firm ETMA SA, and the National Foreign Trade Commission (CNCE) issued its opinion through Board Minute No. 2637 on July 22, 2026.

Background of the measure

The current antidumping duties stem from Resolution 484/2021 of the former Ministry of Productive Development (RESOL-2021-484-APN-MDP), which maintained the measures imposed by Resolution 539/2015 of the former Ministry of Economy and Public Finance for a term of five years. The levies consist of specific duties per kilogram:

• US$ 11.09 per kilogram for cross-joints.
• US$ 16.02 per kilogram for tri-joints.

The CNCE concluded that, in the absence of the measure, there would be a probability of the re-entry of Chinese imports at prices that would negatively impact the national industry, recreating the conditions of injury previously determined. However, it recommended not maintaining the duties during the review, a criterion shared by the Secretariat of Industry, Trade, and Small and Medium Enterprises.

CNCE analysis data

The technical body detected price undervaluations of the Chinese product compared to the national one during almost the entire analyzed period:

• Cross-joints: undervaluations between 39% and 67%.
• Tri-joints: undervaluations between 54% and 73%, except in 2024.

Between 2023 and 2025, the volume of imports of cross-joints of Chinese origin increased by 437% and tri-joints by 93%, in a context where the local market contracted by 28% and 9%, respectively. The share of the imports under review did not exceed 1% for cross-joints nor 2% for tri-joints.

Deadlines and participation

The data collection period for the analysis of the recurrence of dumping spans from May 2025 to April 2026, and for the determination of the repetition or continuation of injury, from January 2023 to April 2026. Interested parties may download the questionnaires from the CNCE website and will have a period of thirty (30) days from the date of publication to submit their responses and evidence.

The resolution is issued within the framework of Law 24,425 and Decree 33/2025, and is communicated to the General Directorate of Customs of the Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA).

Impact

The decision not to keep the duties in effect during the examination leaves, for the time being, imports of Chinese constant velocity joints (CV joints) and tripods untaxed, which directly affects importers, the national industry represented by ETMA, and foreign trade with China. The result of the procedure will determine whether the measures are reinstated, modified, or definitively revoked.

Source: Official Gazette of the Argentine Republic, First section, August 19, 2026 (official reference: RESOL-2026-1291-APN-MEC).