The United States Department of Commerce has announced the affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of imports of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan.

Commerce determined that exporters from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan sold fine denier polyester staple fiber in the United States at less than fair value.  The dumping margins determined by Commerce were for China –  65.17 – 103.06 percent; India – 21.43 percent; Korea – 0 – 45.23 percent; and Taiwan – 0 – 48.86 percent.

As a result of today’s decisions, Commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan based on the final rates, as appropriate.

In 2017, imports of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan were valued at an estimated $61.4 million, $23.7 million, $11.9 million, and $7.4 million, respectively.

The petition was filed by DAK Americas LLC of North Carolina, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, America of South Carolina, and Auriga Polymers Inc. of North Carolina.

Commerce has initiated 114 new antidumping and countervailing duty investigations since the beginning of the Trump administration.  This is 78 percent more than the 64 initiations in the last 489 days of the previous administration.

The AD law provides US businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of the unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Foreign companies that price their products in the US market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to AD duties. Commerce currently maintains 440 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is conducting investigations to determine whether or not the domestic industry is harmed by imports of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan.  The ITC is currently scheduled to make its final injury determinations on or before July 9, 2018.

If the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue AD orders.  If the ITC makes negative final determinations of injury, the investigations will be terminated and no orders will be issued.