Chinese shrimp companies appeal to US trade court over duties

Chinese shrimp enterprises have appealed to the US Court of International Trade against a recent anti-dumping ruling that imposed duties of up to 113% on their products.
In the filing, 32 Chinese companies claimed that the US Department of Commerce decision in November to levy punitive duties on their exports to the US was unfair and wrong, the China Daily said.
The US Department of Commerce found that with the exception of one Chinese producer, imported shrimp from China and Vietnam was being sold in the US at “less than fair value.”
It set punitive anti-dumping duties in a range of 27.89 to 112.81% on Chinese shrimp imports and 4.13 to 25.76% for Vietnamese imports.
Vietnam has also complained bitterly about the tariffs.
In the commerce department’s review, prices of shrimp from India had been compared with Chinese shrimp which violated trade laws, Cao Xumin, president of the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal by-Products said.
“The shrimp taken as the surrogate raw materials are of a different species from the Chinese shrimp,” the newspaper quoted Cao as saying.
“Using this surrogate value, the US Department of Commerce violated the principle of accuracy and representational comparison stipulated by World Trade Organisation rules and US anti-dumping laws,” he said.
A ruling on the appeal is expected later this year.
The shrimp investigation was launched in December 2003 when US firms, under the umbrella of the eight-state industry coalition, the Southern Shrimp Alliance, filed a petition calling for punitive tariffs.
The alliance claimed shrimp imports from the six countries under investigation jumped 71% from 2000 to 2003 to 360 million kilos (795 million pounds) while import prices plummeted 42%.
Nearly 90% of shrimp consumed in the US is imported.

 

Category: Business