The U.S. International Trade Commission has voted 5-0 to make a final determination of material injury to the domestic rubber band industry because of imports from Thailand.
The vote comes roughly 15 months after Hot Springs, Ark.-based Alliance Rubber Co. petitioned the ITC for relief against rubber band imports from China, Thailand and Sri Lanka. In a new release issued just after the January 2018 ITC filing, Alliance President Bonnie Spencer Swayze said that "rubber band manufacturers from Asia are receiving subsidies from their own governments and are artificially lowering their prices in order to root out American competition."
In March 2018, the ITC decided to terminate its investigation against Sri Lankan rubber band imports, but said it would continue the probe of Chinese and Thai imports.
Commerce, in September, issued preliminary antidumping duties of 5.86 percent against Thai rubber band imports and upheld that decision in March 2019 when it made final determinations. Exceptions were made for Liang Hah Heng International Rubber Co./Hah Shung Heng Co., whose dumping rate was zero.
When making its final determination, Commerce also ordered Customs and Border Protection to collect the established 5.87 percent duties.
The duties against Thai rubber bands contrasted sharply with those issued against rubber bands imported from China. In February, Commerce issued final countervailing duties of 27.27 percent and final antidumping duties of 125.77 percent against Chinese rubber band imports.
Commerce officially terminated its investigation on March 11.
