U.S. Department of Commerce Issues Final Circumvention Ruling Regarding Diamond Sawblades

For Immediate Release 
February 13, 2020
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Phone: 202-482-3809

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a final affirmative circumvention ruling involving diamond sawblades from the People’s Republic of China (China), which are joined in Canada and then exported to the United States in circumvention of an existing antidumping duty (AD) order on diamond sawblades from China. This ruling applies only to diamond sawblades produced in Canada by Protech Diamond Tools, Inc. (Protech).

As a result of this affirmative final circumvention determination, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to continue collecting AD cash deposits on imports of circumventing merchandise produced and exported by Protech. 

Under U.S. law, circumvention exists when (among other things) merchandise subject to an AD or countervailing duty (CVD) order is completed or assembled in a third country from parts and components imported from the country subject to the order.  

This circumvention inquiry was conducted pursuant to a request from the Diamond Sawblades Manufacturers’ Coalition, a group of U.S. manufacturers.

The strict enforcement of U.S. trade law is a primary focus of the Trump administration. To date, the Trump administration has issued 40 preliminary or final affirmative determinations in anti-circumvention inquiries – this is a 186 percent increase from the number of such determinations made during the comparable period in the previous administration. 

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade law and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international rules and is based on factual evidence provided on the record.

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