ITC reviewing antidumping duties on Chinese amsul

The International Trade Commission (ITC) will begin reviewing antidumping and countervailing duties on Chinese ammonium sulfate (amsul) imports to the US beginning 1 February.

The review will determine whether removal of the duties would lead to a continuation of dumping or "recurrence of material injury" to the US domestic amsul industry, the official notice dated 26 January said.

The ITC voted unanimously in 2017 that domestic producers endured material injury from Chinese imports and issued an antidumping rate of 493.46pc and countervailing rate of 206.72pc.

Interested parties are requested to submit responses by 3 March, and comments on the adequacy of responses will be due by 15 April.

US imports of Chinese amsul swelled to more than 336,500 metric tonnes (t) in 2015, nearly eightfold from volumes two years prior, according to US Census Bureau data. Imports from China have averaged less than 100 t/year since the ruling in 2017.

Shipments from China ramped up within the two-year period after the country rapidly expanded its caprolactam production between 2011 and 2013, which directly grew its amsul production capacity.

US producer PCI in late May 2016 filed a petition to the ITC and Department of Commerce to open antidumping and countervailing duty investigations, citing "lower revenues and in material injury to the domestic industry" as a result of substantially higher imports from China.

By Sarah Tucker