Aluminum Association applauds USITC’s preliminary ruling on Chinese Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) made a unanimous preliminary determination on 12 January that unfairly-traded imports of common alloy aluminium sheet from the People’s Republic of China (“China”) are causing injury to U.S. producers.  The determination assured the proceeding of the antidumping and countervailing duty cases against imports from China.

The USITC’s unanimous preliminary injury determination follows the announcement by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, in November 2017, of the Commerce Department’s self-initiation of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of common alloy aluminum sheet from China.  This action by the Commerce Department marked the first time in more than 25 years that the agency has exercised its discretion to self-initiate unfair trade cases.

As a result of the USITC’s affirmative determination, the Department of Commerce will continue to conduct its investigations on imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from China.  The Commerce Department’s preliminary countervailing duty determination is currently due to be completed on February 1, 2018, and the preliminary antidumping duty determination is due to be completed on April 17, 2018.

“The Aluminum Association and its members are encouraged by today’s unanimous preliminary finding by the U.S. International Trade Commission that imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from China are a cause of injury to the domestic industry and their workers,” said Heidi Brock, President & CEO of the Aluminum Association. 

“U.S. companies that make common alloy aluminum sheet have suffered extensive injury thanks to unfairly traded imports from China for many years. Our members are participating in the trade cases initiated by the Department of Commerce to return fair pricing to the U.S. market, and to allow the U.S. industry to make needed investments to further strengthen its competitiveness.”

Imports of common alloy aluminium sheet from China increased by more than 90 percent between 2014 and 2017 (annualized).  China is by far the largest supplier of common alloy sheet to the U.S. market in 2016, accounting for more than 36 per cent of all U.S. imports.

Representatives from the U.S. aluminium industry testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission on December 21 in support of a determination that imports of common aluminium alloy sheet from China threaten to injure domestic producers.