Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in this antidumping duty (AD) investigation, finding that exporters of aluminum foil from the People’s Republic of China (China) sold their product at prices that resulted in preliminary dumping margins of 96.81 percent to 162.24 percent to be applied, based on factual evidence provided by the interested parties using the Department’s standard non-market economy dumping methodology.
Upon issuance of this preliminary determination, the Commerce Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of aluminum foil from China based on the preliminary rates.
In 2016, imports of aluminum foil from China were valued at an estimated $389 million. The petitioner is the Aluminum Association Trade Enforcement Working Group.
Enforcement of U.S. trade law is a prime focus of the Trump administration. From January 20, 2017, through October 25, 2017, Commerce has initiated 77 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations – a 61 percent increase from 48 in the previous year.
The antidumping duty law provides U.S. businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of dumped or unfairly priced imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 411 AD and CVD orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
Commerce is currently scheduled to announce its final AD determination on February 23, 2018.
If Commerce makes an affirmative final determination of dumping and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes an affirmative final determination of injury, Commerce will issue an AD order. If Commerce makes a negative final determination of dumping or the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.
Click HERE for a fact sheet on today’s decision.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international law and is based solely on factual evidence.
Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce