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Paper makers ask for duties to be placed on China, Indonesia

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Staff Report Updated 1:24 AM Thursday, September 24, 2009

Domestic makers of coated paper — including two companies with operations in Dayton — and organized labor said Wednesday, Sept. 23, that they have asked the federal government to probe the trade practices of China and Indonesia and impose duties on some of the coated paper products they export.

NewPage Corp., Appleton Coated LLC, Sappi Fine Paper and the United Steelworkers of America filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions against the countries, according to a news release from NewPage Corp.

The petitions ask the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission to impose the duties, the release states. The parties allege in the petitions that Chinese and Indonesian manufacturers are receiving subsidies, low-cost timber and other government help that provide them with an unfair advantage.

Products covered by the petitions include the coated paper used in high-quality writing, printing and other graphic applications using sheet-fed presses, in sheet or semi-finished roll form, with a brightness of 80 or higher, according to those filing the petitions.

Rick Willett, president and chief executive of NewPage, said the action is meant to support fair trade.

“Domestic manufacturers enjoy numerous cost advantages over their Chinese and Indonesian competitors for paper used in our domestic marketplace, including abundant, well-managed forest resources, energy and raw materials, as well as lower transportation and logistics costs,” Willett said in a statement. “We are not afraid to compete with anyone on a level playing field.”

In November 2007, the International Trade Commission decided against imposing tariffs on glossy paper imports from China. Earlier that year, the U.S. Department of Commerce had agreed with NewPage in its bid to seek trade sanctions against Chinese glossy paper imports, reversing U.S. policy.

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