US says Chinese aluminium foil imports are being dumped and subsidised by Beijing

The US Commerce Department has made a final determination that imports of some aluminium foil from China are being sold in the United States at less than their fair value and producers are benefiting from subsidies from Beijing, an aluminium trade group said on Tuesday.

The Aluminium Association said in a statement that antidumping and countervailing duties would be levied on a number of Chinese firms, with dumping margins ranging from 48.64 per cent to 106.09 per cent and anti-subsidy rates of 17.14 per cent to 80.97 per cent.

The Commerce Department’s formal announcement on the decision has not yet been released publicly.

The duties, which would take effect for five years, remain subject to a finding of injury to US producers by the International Trade Commission (ITC), which is due to announce its decision by March 15.

US President Donald Trump is due to decide soon whether to impose much broader duties on steel and aluminium imports under a national security investigation, amid mounting trade friction with China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser, Liu He, will visit the United States this week, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, to exchange views “on China-US relations and the two countries’ economic and trade cooperation.”