China Innerspring Units: Commerce to Investigate Circumvention by Malaysian Exporter

The Commerce Department on Dec. 31 began an inquiry into whether innerspring units exported from Malaysia by Goldon Bedding Manufacturing are circumventing antidumping duties on uncovered innerspring units from China (A-570-928) (here). Leggett & Platt, a U.S. manufacturer of innerspring units, says Goldon is only assembling complete innerspring units in Malaysia from parts it imports from China, and the assembly process is minor and does not change the Chinese origin of the merchandise for AD duty purposes. Commerce has already found another Malaysian exporter’s products were subject to duties on uncovered innerspring units from China because they were made from Chinese-origin components (see 14011718). Commerce may suspend liquidation of Goldon’s innerspring units if it makes a preliminary determination that they are circumventing AD duties. The agency’s final determination is due in October.