On December 3, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the initiation of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on melamine from the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
[Reposted from the King & Spalding blog | Erienne Kilgore & Joshua Snead | January 6, 2015]
The petitions were filed on November 12 by King & Spalding on behalf of Cornerstone Chemical Company, the only U.S. producer of melamine. Melamine is a crystalline powder or granule typically used to manufacture melamine formaldehyde resins, which can be used in surface coatings, laminates, and textile-treatment applications in the automotive, appliance, fabric, and wood paneling industries, as well as many others. The scope of the investigations includes all melamine from the subject countries, including melamine that has been commingled with melamine produced in other countries.
In 2013, the value of U.S. imports of melamine from China and Trinidad and Tobago was $30.9 million. These investigations progressed when the U.S. International Trade Commission unanimously determined on December 29 that there is a reasonable indication that the U.S. industry is materially injured by imports of melamine from China and Trinidad and Tobago that are allegedly subsidized and sold in the United States at less than fair value. The Department of Commerce is currently scheduled to publish preliminary antidumping and countervailing duty determinations by April 21, 2015.
