U.S. Commerce Dept. Enforces Duties on Chinese Cabinets Processed in Malaysia and Vietnam

FDT Bureau

The U.S. Commerce Department has ruled that wooden cabinets, vanities, and related components manufactured in China but further processed in Malaysia and Vietnam will be subject to the same antidumping and countervailing duties previously imposed on imports directly from China.

The Commerce Department issued final scope rulings on a case brought by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) and its affiliated organization, the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance (AKCA). Both trade organizations had petitioned the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the U.S. Commerce Department to address alleged unfair trading practices by Chinese cabinet suppliers.

"The latest Commerce Department scope rulings represent a huge victory for the domestic cabinet industry," said the CEO of KCMA. "These scope rulings ensure that Chinese-made wooden cabinets, vanities, and components – even when processed in Malaysia and Vietnam – face the antidumping and countervailing duties designed to protect U.S. manufacturers from unfairly priced imports, thereby leveling the playing field."

U.S. Federal investigators are also looking into the possible transhipment of quartz surfaces fabricated in China to eight importers in the U.S. via Thailand. Any penalties or restrictions imposed by the investigators could open more market share opportunities for other large import source destinations, such as India, Spain, and Vietnam.