April 7, 2024
RESTON, VA — The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association is applauding a Commerce Dept. plan to create a certification process aimed at disrupting the flow of Chinese-made cabinets and components being completed in Malaysia and Vietnam before being transshipped to the U.S. in violation of unfair-trade laws.
As part of the Commerce Dept.’s proposed procedures, unveiled today, both importers and exporters will be required to certify that wooden cabinet and vanity shipments from Malaysia and Vietnam do not contain finished or unfinished Chinese cabinet components – including doors, drawer faces, and frames – that circumvent anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on products produced in China, the KCMA said.
“Today’s announcement by the Commerce Dept. is a great step forward as we work to ensure that all cabinets and components flowing through Malaysia and Vietnam are manufactured in those countries, not in the People’s Republic of China,” said KCMA CEO Betsy Natz.
The KCMA has been battling to combat unfairly traded imports from China, charging that Commerce Dept. antidumping and countervailing duty orders on wooden cabinets, vanities and components were being violated by imports that were made in China and then transshipped to the U.S. through Malaysia and Vietnam.
“On behalf of KCMA-member companies, I commend the Commerce Dept. for its continued efforts to enforce existing anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders, and stop the cheating,” Natz said.
U.S. Commerce officials have provided parties an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed certification process on April 19, and to submit rebuttal comments on April 26, the KCMA said. Commerce intends to issue its final scope ruling on June 14, the Reston, VA-based trade association added.
“As we move forward, KCMA will continue our work to fight for fair trade and ensure that domestic cabinet manufacturers are competing on level playing field,” Natz said.
