Commerce outlines duties for polyester staple fiber imports

The Commerce Department has instructed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to begin assessing antidumping duties on imports of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan.    The Commerce Department on Tuesday announced preliminary antidumping duties for imports of fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan.
   Dumping occurs when foreign companies sell their goods in the United States at less than fair value. 
   In its China investigation, Commerce calculated preliminary dumping rates of 181.46 percent for Jiangyin Hailun Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd., and 63.26 percent for Jiangyin Huahong Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd. A preliminary dumping rate of 181.46 percent was set for all other Chinese producers and exporters of this product. 
   For its India investigation, Commerce calculated a preliminary dumping rate of 2.66 percent for Reliance Industries Ltd. and assigned a dumping rate of 21.43 percent to Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Co. Ltd. A preliminary dumping rate of 2.66 percent was set for all other Indian producers and exporters of this product. 
   Commerce calculated a preliminary dumping rate of 0 percent for South Korea’s Toray Chemical Korea Inc., but assigned a dumping rate of 45.23 percent to Down Nara Co. Ltd. and Huvis Corp. All other South Korean producers and exporters of this product received a preliminary dumping rate of 30.15 percent. 
   As a result of its Taiwan investigation, Commerce calculated a preliminary dumping rate of 0 percent for Tainan Spinning Co. Ltd., and assigned a dumping rate of 48.86 percent to Far Eastern Textile Ltd. (Far Eastern). The department determined a preliminary dumping rate of 24.43 percent for all other Taiwanese producers and exporters of fine denier polyester staple fiber.
   Commerce has instructed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to require cash deposits from U.S. importers of fine denier polyester stable fiber from the four countries based on those preliminary dumping rates.
   In 2016, U.S. imports of this product from China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan were valued at an estimated $79.4 million, $14.7 million, $10.6 million, and $9.6 million, respectively.
   Fine denier polyester stable fiber is similar in appearance to cotton or wool. When woven into yarn, it can been used to make textiles such as clothing and bed linens. In its non-woven form, the fiber is incorporated into household and hygiene products such as cleaning wipes, baby wipes and diapers. 
   The petitioners for these antidumping investigations included Auriga Polymers and DAK Americas, both of North Carolina, and Nan Ya Plastics Corp. America in South Carolina.    
   “We are pleased with the overall strong antidumping duty determinations in each of these four cases,” said Paul Rosenthal of law firm Kelley Drye & Warren, which serves as counsel to the petitioners. “The margins support what the domestic fine denier PSF industry has experienced for years – the growing presence of dumped merchandise from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan in the U.S. market.”  
   A countervailing duty investigation petition was simultaneously filed by the same petitioners for fine denier polyester stable fiber from China and India. Countervailable subsidies are generally provided by foreign governments to companies based on their export performance and use of domestic materials over imports.
   The U.S. International Trade Commission, which is also included in antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, reached an affirmative preliminary determination on July 14, 2017 that the domestic industry is harmed by unfairly traded fine denier PSF imports, allowing the antidumping and countervailing investigations at Commerce to continue. The ITC will hold a public hearing in its final injury investigation on Jan. 17, 2018.
   If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations of dumping and the ITC makes affirmative final injury determinations, Commerce will issue antidumping orders. If Commerce makes negative final determinations of dumping or the ITC makes negative final determinations of injury, the investigations will end and no orders will be issued.