US to impose duty on polyester yarn from China, India

The US department of commerce has announced the affirmative preliminary determinations in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of polyester textured yarn from China and India. The investigations found that exporters received countervailable subsidies ranging from 32.04 to 459.98 per cent and 7.09 to 20.45 per cent, respectively.

 

Based on the preliminary rates, the department of commerce will instruct US Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits from importers of polyester textured yarn from China and India.

 

The investigations were carried out following a petition filed by Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. (Greensboro, NC) and Nan Ya Plastics Corp. America (Lake City, SC).

Polyester textured yarn is synthetic multifilament yarn that is manufactured from polyester (polyethylene terephthalate). It is produced through a texturing process, which imparts special properties to the filaments of the yarn, including stretch, bulk, strength, moisture absorption, insulation, and the appearance of a natural fibre.

The scope of investigations includes all forms of polyester textured yarn, regardless of surface texture or appearance, yarn density and thickness (as measured in denier), number of filaments, number of plies, finish (lustre), cross section, colour, dye method, texturing method, or packing method (such as spindles, tubes, or beams).

 

Excluded from the scope of the investigations are bulk continuous filament yarn that: (a) is polyester synthetic multifilament yarn; (b) has denier size ranges of 900 and above; (c) has turns per meter of 40 and above; and (d) has a maximum shrinkage of 2.5 percent.

The merchandise subject to these investigations is properly classified under subheadings 5402.33.3000 and 5402.33.6000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is dispositive.

In 2017, US imports of polyester textured yarn from China and India were valued at an estimated $35 million and $19.6 million, respectively.

The petitioners have requested that the final determinations of the CVD investigations align with the final determinations of the concurrent antidumping duty investigations. Accordingly, the department of commerce is scheduled to announce its final determinations on or about September 10, 2019, unless the statutory deadline is extended.

 

If commerce department makes affirmative final determinations, and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) makes affirmative final determinations that imports of polyester textured yarn from China and/or India materially injure, or threaten material injury to, the domestic industry, the department will issue CVD orders. If either the department’s or the ITC’s final determinations are negative, no CVD orders will be issued. The ITC is scheduled to make its final injury determinations approximately 45 days after the commerce department issues its final determinations, if affirmative.