Washington, DC, USA, 24 September 2008 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Commerce has imposed antidumping duties on imports of tissue paper products from a Vietnamese exporter, Vietnam Quijiang Paper Co., Ltd., that has been unlawfully circumventing an antidumping duty order covering certain tissue paper products from China. The determination was publicly announced on 22 September 2008.

The Vietnamese company circumventing the order is wholly owned by a Chinese company, and was set up while the original investigation of Chinese imports was underway. Commerce specifically found that the Vietnamese company was established expressly to circumvent the dumping order by bringing Chinese tissue paper into Vietnam, where it was cut and packaged before being sent to the United States without any duties being paid.

As part of its decision, Commerce is continuing its requirement that all importers of tissue paper products from Vietnam Quijiang pay estimated duties of 112.64% on the value of imports from the Vietnamese company made from Chinese tissue paper.

"The Commerce Department has acted decisively, to protect the integrity of this dumping order," said David A. Hartquist of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, counsel to the U.S. industry. "Circumvention of existing antidumping orders, particularly on imports from China, is a very serious problem that deserves the full attention of our government. Exporters and importers who circumvent must be aware of the possible consequences of their behavior."

The anticircumvention inquiry, like the antidumping duty proceeding, covered cut-to-length sheets of tissue paper that are wider than 0.5 inches and have a basis weight not exceeding 29 grams per square meter. The paper may be packaged in any way, including as part of a set of other items, and may be packaged with sheets of other types of paper or plastic film.

The United States industry is represented by David A. Hartquist, Esq., of the International Trade and Customs Practice of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP in Washington, DC.