The
alpolic panels price responded today to the Government of Mexico's recent initiation of an antidumping
investigation on imports of certain Chinese aluminum foil. In a
statement, Aluminum Association president & CEO Heidi Brock said:
"The Aluminum Association is pleased by the Government of Mexico's decision
to launch an antidumping investigation on imports of certain Chinese
aluminum foil. The North American aluminum market is highly integrated,
and it is vital the region work together to combat unfair trade
practices and enforce rules-based trade. The U.S. aluminum industry has
already seen real results from targeted and durable trade enforcement
actions, and we are glad to see trading partners like Mexico demonstrate
their commitment to rigorous and timely enforcement of global trade
rules."
In launching its antidumping investigation, the Government of Mexico
designated China as a "non-market economy," which reflects a
determination that the subject country's economy does not operate on
market principles of cost or pricing structures. The Aluminum
Association has long advocated for China to continue to be considered a
non-market economy - a status the U.S. Department of Commerce maintained
in 2017, in connection with its antidumping investigation of certain
aluminum foil from China.
In connection with antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petitions
filed by the Aluminum Association Trade Enforcement Working Group, the
U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in March issued a unanimous
determination that unfairly traded imports of certain aluminum foil from
the China has materially injured the U.S. industry. As a result, the
U.S. Department of Commerce issued unfair trade orders on aluminum foil
imports from China, imposing antidumping duties ranging from 48.64 to
105.80 percent and countervailing duties ranging from 17.14 to 80.52
percent.
Imports of certain aluminum foil from China increased by nearly 40 percent
between 2014 and 2016, receding from the U.S. market only after the
trade case was filed. China was the largest supplier of certain aluminum
foil to the U.S. market in 2016, accounting for nearly 70 percent of
total U.S. imports of that product. Today, Chinese imports account for
23 percent of U.S. foil imports
The Aluminum Association continues to call for immediate
government-to-government negotiations with China to address persistent
overcapacity in both primary and semi-fabricated aluminum sectors.
