First-ever countervailing duty to be imposed on Vietnam
The Department of Commerce has issued final determinations of anti-dumping duties to be imposed on plastic grocery bags made in Taiwan, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Polyethylene retail carrier bags — or PRCBs — have been the source of trade disputes between U.S. domestic producers and Asian manufacturers for years. These latest duties are the result of an International Trade Commission (ITC) import injury investigation launched last year. The ITC is expected to announce its final decision April 14. (Access the files on the preliminary and final phases of the ITC investigation here and here.) A second investigation focused on PRCB exporters in China, Malaysia and Thailand is also underway, with a final report due May 24 (ITC files here).
King & Spalding, legal counsel for the petitioners requesting both investigations, provides company-specific details of the ITC determination that sets dumping margins ranging from 69.64% to 85.17% for Indonesian producers, and 52.30% to 76.11% for Vietnamese producers. An earlier release covers the Taiwanese margins, which range from 36.54% to 95.81%.
Dumping margins of this dimension effectively bar the affected exporters from the U.S. market. When game-changers like this occur, The Datamyne’s bill of lading database can provide the transaction-level detail needed to locate supply-chain disruptions — and new opportunities to source or supply, ask us how.