Aluminum Association urges the Commerce Department to address avoidance of anti-dumping duty by Chinese exporters

In a recent filing with the Commerce Department, the Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet Trade Enforcement Working Group of the Aluminum Association and its individual members claimed that Chinese exporters and producers are allegedly evading unfair trade restrictions on common alloy aluminum sheet (CAAS) from China by selling 4017 alloy aluminium sheet for uses that are typically reserved for 3003 and 3105 aluminium sheet. In order to address the circumvention of antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders released in 2019 on imports of common alloy aluminium sheets from China, the organisation requested that the Department open a "minimal changes" probe.

“The U.S. aluminum industry has made a commitment to rigorously monitor and enforce unfair trade laws to ensure a level playing field for domestic producers. We are confident that the Commerce Department will promptly review our petition and take appropriate action to ensure that unscrupulous exporters are not circumventing U.S. law,” said Charles Johnson, president & CEO of the Aluminum Association.

Imports of 3003 and 3105 aluminium sheet from China have significantly decreased after AD/CVD orders were put in place. However, as a replacement for 3003 and 3105 alloy aluminium sheet, Chinese exporters and producers have recently begun promoting and selling growing numbers of 4017 aluminium sheet. Alloys 4017 and 3003/3105 have chemistries that substantially resemble one another, which suggest that Chinese exporters and producers are only looking for a "workaround" to the discriminatory trade orders.

In the upcoming weeks, the Commerce Department will assess the claim made by the association to decide whether to open an investigation into the alleged activity. Since a number of successful AD/CVD decisions were obtained, the Aluminum Association has pushed for the establishment of the first-ever U.S. aluminium import monitoring system and collaborated with partners on multilateral solutions to address the issue of significant state subsidies in the aluminium market, particularly in China