Minneapolis, MN, Nov. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) announced its preliminary determination that imports of quartz surface products from China are being dumped into the U.S., violating existing U.S. trade laws. As a result, Commerce will impose antidumping (“AD”) duties on such imports ranging from 242.10 to 341.29%.
These AD duties are in addition to the 34.38% to 190.99% preliminary countervailing (“CVD”) duties announced by Commerce. In September, Commerce announced a 178.45% duty rate for two of the mandatory respondents, and in November, Commerce increased this rate to 190.99% based on the identification of additional subsidy programs.
Commerce also announced that it made an affirmative finding of critical circumstances in its AD investigation as well as a partial affirmative finding of critical circumstances in its CVD investigation. CVD duties now apply to certain imports that entered the United States on or after June 23, 2018, and AD duties now apply to certain imports that entered the United States on or after approximately August 15, 2018. Imports from China surged from $167 million in 2015 to over $460 million in 2017 before surging to over $526 million in the first nine months of 2018. In 2017 alone, subsidized non-market based imports from China displaced over $1.2 billion of market economy based quartz surface products in the U.S.
"Commerce’s determinations thus far in the trade case Cambria filed earlier this year, with the support of our industry competitors and customers, substantiate our serious concerns that China, a non-market economy, has illegally targeted the U.S. quartz surface industry, exploiting the greatest free market economy in the world,” said Marty Davis, President and CEO of Cambria. “Commerce’s recent announcement is an important step toward restoring a level playing field in our industry. Cambria is taking these actions to protect free trade, our employees, along with our many fabrication, installation and dealer partner employees, and all American workers competing in our free and fair, market based economy; free trade cannot exist without fair trade.”
Cambria has been diligently fighting to ensure that fabricated quartz surface products, in addition to quartz surface product slabs, are included in the scope of the case to keep fabrication here in the U.S. instead of having fabrication outsourced to China.
Mr. Davis continues, “It is understandable that importers/re-sellers want to continue to import unfairly traded quartz slabs and fabricated product into the U.S. without trade enforcement duties. But opposition to the duties is contrary to the U.S. fabricators’ interests as it allows unfairly and illegally traded slabs and fabricated products from China to continue to pour into the U.S., ultimately eliminating market based economics for American companies at all levels of the sector.”
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About Cambria:
Cambria Company LLC, headquartered in Le Sueur, MN, is the leading domestic producer of quartz surface products. It is a family-owned, American-made company that employs more than 2,000 people across North America. For more information, visit www.CambriaUSA.com.