AEC files new circumvention petition on Chinese aluminium extrusions shipped via Vietnam

Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) sought new trade protections against Chinese imports on Tuesday through its Aluminum Extrusions Fair Trade Committee (AEFTC), while filing a circumvention petition against China Zhongwang Holdings Ltd and its affiliates of evading anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties by shipping aluminium extrusions through Vietnam.

They urged that extrusions shipped by Zhongwang’s Vietnamese affiliates should be subject to the same US import duties as Chinese extrusions. They alleged that after Zhongwang’s fake extrusion pallets were caught evading AD/CVD duties by Commerce Department in December 2016, the company shipped substantial quantities of these pallets to its affiliate in Vietnam, Global Vietnam Aluminum Co., Ltd. The company is claimed to be changing the shape and form of these Chinese extrusions in minor ways and exporting them back to the United States and claiming the origin is Vietnamese. This way, they have been evading the valid duties.

The petition is considered a country-wide allegation that would apply to all other Vietnamese producers that convert the circumvented Chinese aluminium extrusions in order to export to the United States.  This shows that substantial quantities of Chinese aluminium extrusions are being shipped to Vietnam directly from China or through transshipment.

“This is an important step for our industry to continue the fight to close these transshipment and circumvention points and fully enforce the orders,” said AEC President Jeff Henderson.  “These blatant attempts to evade duties and flood the market with unfairly traded Chinese aluminum extrusions must be halted.”

The AEC has asked the Department of Commerce to start the investigation at the earliest and make a quick decision in order to protect the domestic industry.