Aluminum Association gearing up for the ITC hearing on China-U.S. trade relations

The Aluminum Association is known to be still not losing hopes on anti-dumping or countervailing duty cases on Chinese aluminium imports; but that largely depends on market conditions, which if deteriorate further will make it difficult for the U.S. aluminium trade body to defend them on a wider scale. It is also trying to make the U.S. reach a binding bilateral deal with China to reduce aluminium overcapacity, informed industry sources.

According to the same sources, the U.S. primary aluminium industry is gearing up for the upcoming International Trade Commission hearing on September 29, which would serve as the first step toward any future international trade defense cases on aluminium. The industry is known to have taken a less aggressive approach than steel in not more pursuing anti-dumping, countervailing duties or World Trade Organization action against China on aluminium. Instead, it has opted to try reaching a bilateral or multilateral deal, said Aluminum Association Vice President of Policy Chuck Johnson to World Trade Online.

“The issues of overcapacity really came to a head in the middle of last year,” Johnson said. “Prior to that, we had not been active on this issue. We have not, as an association, pursued antidumping and other trade enforcement remedies for our industry as have steel and other industries that have been facing a more endemic and long-term conditions. … But we are not taking anything off the table.”



The ITC hearing will look at trade practices of the Chinese aluminium exporters including the country's trade policies, export duties and industry subsidization. The goal is to get a better insight and documentation into/on China’s industry than has previously been gathered, Johnson updated.

The ITC is currently in the process of collecting information and gathering public comments ahead of the hearing. A questionnaire is also being circulated at the competitive conditions affecting the U.S. aluminium industry as a whole.

The chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission has asked 28 ambassadors from all over the U.S. and the world to testify or submit their comments on global aluminium trade and the U.S. industry.

The 28 ambassadors hail from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Iceland, Italy, Korea, Bahrain, Canada, European Union, Germany, India, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mozambique, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Oman, Russia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.