US to levy punitive duties on monosodium glutamate from China, Indonesia

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Thursday claimed in a final ruling that a U.S. industry is materially injured by imports of monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer, from China and Indonesia, paving the way for the U.S. government to levy punitive duties on the products.

"The U.S. Department of Commerce will issue antidumping duty orders on imports of these products from China and Indonesia", said ITC in a statement.

Last month, the U.S. Commerce Department announced its final determination that these products from China and Indonesia were sold at dumping margins of 8.30 percent to 8.32 percent, and 6.19 percent, respectively.

The Commerce Department launched the investigation in October 2013, in response to a petition filed by Ajinomoto North America Inc., the U.S. unit of Japan's Ajinomoto Co. that produces food and chemical products including monosodium glutamate and pharmaceuticals.

Imports of these products from China and Indonesia were estimated at about 33.5 million U.S. dollars and 6 million dollars last year, respectively, according to U.S. official data.

As the U.S. economy is undergoing a slow recovery, Washington has increasingly resorted to protectionist practices. Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to honor its commitment against protectionism and work with China to maintain a free, open and just trade environment.