Antidumping Duties on Chinese Aluminum Products Are Proposed

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration said Thursday it wants to slap antidumping duties on Chinese aluminum products, giving a boost to a group of U.S. aluminum producers and the United Steelworkers union.

The proposed duties, which require further action by the International Trade Commission, could add 59.31% to the cost of Chinese aluminum extrusions, which are products squeezed out of aluminum alloys and often used in construction. The Chinese imports were valued at more than $500 million last year.

The aluminum case is one of several trade-policy disputes simmering between the U.S. and China that involve the steelworkers, who have been among the most active petitioners for sanctions against Chinese imports. The steelworkers pushed the Obama administration to launch an investigation of China's green-technology sector last month. The steelworkers also initiated action to get antidumping duties levied on Chinese-made tires.

The U.S. decided in August against pursuing the more charged issue of whether China's undervalued currency was providing an unfair subsidy for aluminum producers.

But the administration set countervailing duties of 6.2% to 137.7% on the aluminum imports.

China is the world's largest exporter of aluminum extrusions. The value of such products shipped to the U.S. jumped to $513.6 million in 2009 from $306.8 million the year before.