U.S. Department of Commerce Initiates Antidumping Duty Investigations of Thermal Paper from Germany, Japan, Korea, and Spain
For Immediate Release
October 28, 2020
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 202-482-3809
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the initiation of new antidumping (AD) investigations to determine whether thermal paper from Germany, Japan, Korea, and Spain are being dumped in the U.S. market.
The petitions were filed by Appvion Operations, Inc. (Appleton, WI) and Domtar Corporation (Fort Mill, SC).
In the AD investigations, Commerce will determine whether imports of thermal paper from the four countries are being dumped in the U.S. market at less than fair value. The alleged dumping margins are as follows:
- 9.20 – 58.90 percent for Germany;
- 129.86 – 140.25 percent for Japan;
- 56.60 – 58.24 percent for Korea; and
- 32.68 – 41.45 percent for Spain.
If Commerce makes affirmative findings in these investigations, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) determines that dumped U.S. imports of thermal paper from Germany, Japan, Korea, and/or Spain materially injure or threaten material injury to the U.S. industry, Commerce will impose duties on those imports in the amount of dumping found to exist.
The 2019, thermal paper imports from the countries under investigation were valued as follows:
- $127.3 million for Germany;
- $31.7 million for Japan;
- $133.6 million for Korea; and
- $29.3 million for Spain.
Read today’s fact sheet on these initiations.
Next Steps:
During Commerce’s antidumping duty investigations of thermal paper from Germany, Japan, Korea, and Spain, the ITC will conduct its own investigations into whether the U.S. industry and its workforce are being injured by such imports. The ITC will make its preliminary determinations on or before November 23, 2020. If the ITC preliminarily determines that there is a reasonable indication of material injury or threat of material injury to the domestic industry, then Commerce’s investigations will continue, with the preliminary determinations scheduled for March 16, 2021, unless these deadlines are extended.
If Commerce preliminarily determines that dumping is occurring, then it will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to start collecting cash deposits from all U.S. companies importing thermal paper from these countries, as appropriate.
Final determinations by Commerce in these cases are scheduled for June 1, 2021, although these dates may be extended. If Commerce finds that products are not being dumped, or the ITC finds in its final determinations there is no injury to the U.S. industry, then the investigations will be terminated, and no duties will be applied.
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 297 new AD and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations – this is a 271 percent increase from the comparable period in the previous administration.
The AD and CVD laws provide American businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair pricing and unfair subsidization of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 540 AD and CVD 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 AD duties.
The U.S. Department of 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 on factual evidence provided on the record.
