US extends antidumping duties on Chinese persulfates

A US trade panel voted Monday to extend antidumping duties on persulfates from China after the third five-year review of the measures imposed initially in 1997.

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) voted against revoking the existing duty orders on persulfates from China, saying it "would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time."

The US Commerce Department is required to remove an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the department and the USITC vote against it, according to the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.

The United States initially issued antidumping duty orders on imports of persulfates from China in 1997 and agreed to keep the existing duties for over a decade following the first five-year review in 2002 and the second five-year review in 2008.

The Commerce Department decided to institute the third five- year review of the measures in March 2013, and later determined that revocation of the existing duty orders on persulfates from China "would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping," with the weighted-average dumping margin of 119.02 percent.

The USITC also voted to conduct full reviews of the existing duties on Chinese persulfates in June 2013.

Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to honor its commitment against protectionism and work with China to maintain a free, open and just trade environment.