Wauconda, Illinois - The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has joined the China Trade Task Force (CTTF), an organization aimed at addressing structural imbalances in the global aluminum market that it attributes to Chinese government policies. AEC joins Century Aluminum and the United Steel Workers as CTTF members.
“China is harming the primary aluminum market in North America,” said AEC President Jeff Henderson. “We’ve seen these tactics being used in China’s aluminum extrusion industry for years. China uses their production of semi-fabricated aluminum to flood the global market with unnecessary aluminum,” Henderson explained.
Over the last several years, Chinese aluminum producers have dramatically expanded capacity through a range of tactics AEC believes may not be legal, including certain subsidies, preferential regulatory treatment, and dumping the excess capacity in the form of semi-finished products in other markets. Their practices have contributed to many U.S. primary aluminum producers shuttering their operations and potentially endangers the viability of downstream industries.
Years of advocacy by the Aluminum Extruders Council have turned the tide in the North American aluminum extrusion industry’s efforts to level the playing field. Affirmative determinations by the International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce imposed duties on Chinese extrusion imports beginning in May 2011, which bolstered domestic industry. “Although the tariffs have helped the domestic extrusion industry recover from the effects of China’s unfair trade, we will continue to fight for a fair and level playing field as long as China continues their nonmarket economy practices,” said Henderson.
“We are delighted that the Aluminum Extruders Council is joining the coalition to halt China’s illegal aluminum subsidies,” remarked Executive Director of CTTF Mark Duffy. “Both presidential candidates are talking tough on China, but what we need now is action. Thousands of U.S. aluminum jobs depend on it.”
The U.S. aluminum industry supports over 170,000 jobs and $186 billion in economic output, according the Aluminum Association.