Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement Applauds China NME Decision

The Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement (MTE), a coalition representing more than one million workers in the aluminum, steel, cement, chemical, textile and other manufacturing industries, today applauded the Department of Commerce (DOC) determination issued this week affirming that China is a non-market economy (NME) for purposes of calculating antidumping margins in trade cases. The determination comes in the context of a trade remedy case against China on dumped aluminum foil exports to the U.S.

Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute and co-chairman of the Manufacturers for Trade Enforcement, said, “Fair international competition and a level playing field are essential for the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers. China has not met the statutory criteria to be treated as a market economy, and we applaud our government’s commitment to ensuring China is not prematurely awarded market economy status. Substantial state intervention in the Chinese economy has resulted in significant overcapacity in many manufacturing sectors in China while also distorting global markets and hurting American manufacturers. Jobs have been lost in all of our industries. China should not be afforded market economy status while still maintaining a state-controlled economic system that encourages unfair trade practices that injure multiple U.S. industries.”

China claims it should automatically receive market economy status following the 15th anniversary of its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which was in December 2016. However, U.S. law requires that the DOC make a market economy status determination based on a six-factor statutory test.