U.S. Department of Commerce Issues Affirmative Preliminary Antidumping Duty Determination on Polyethylene Terephthalate Sheet from Korea and Oman
For Immediate Release February 26, 2020
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 202-482-3809
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced affirmative preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of imports of polyethylene terephthalate sheet (PET sheet) from Korea and Oman.
Commerce preliminarily determined that exporters from Korea have dumped PET sheet in the United States at margins ranging from 8.02 to 52.01 percent, and that exporters from Oman have dumped PET sheet in the United States at a margin of 2.78 percent.
As a result of today’s decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of PET sheet from Korea and Oman based on the preliminary rates noted above.
In 2018, imports of PET sheet from Korea and Oman were valued at an estimated $90 million and $208 million, respectively.
The petitioners are Advanced Extrusions, Inc. (Rogers, Minn.), Ex-Tech Plastics, Inc. (Richmond, Ill.), and Multi-Plastics Extrusions, Inc. (Hazleton, Pa.).
Commerce is scheduled to announce the final determinations on or about July 15.
If Commerce’s final determination is affirmative, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will be scheduled to make its final injury determination on or about August 31. If Commerce makes an affirmative final determination of dumping and the ITC makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue an AD order. If Commerce makes a negative final determination of dumping or the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued.
Read the fact sheet on today’s decisions.
The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump administration. Since the beginning of the current administration, Commerce has initiated 203 new AD and countervailing duty investigations – this is a 174 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.
The antidumping duty law provides American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 516 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade.
Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties.
Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international rules and is based solely on factual evidence.
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