Commerce Department’s Review of Antidumping Duties on Chinese Citric Acid Stays In Place
Estimated reading time: 3–5 minutes
The U.S. Department of Commerce has made an important decision regarding citric acid from China. The department found that ending the antidumping duty order on citric acid and citrate salts from China could lead to dumping again. Dumping is when products are sold in another country at unfairly low prices. This decision is part of an important process called the “Expedited Third Sunset Review.”
Background Information
Back in 2009, the U.S. started putting extra charges on citric acid and some citrate salts from China. They did this to stop dumping. Every five years, they review to see if these charges are still needed. This is now the third time they are doing this review.
On December 1, 2025, they started the review process. Some American companies like Archer-Daniels-Midland Company and Cargill, Inc. told Commerce they want the charges to stay. These companies make the same products and were worried that ending the duties could hurt them.
Review Process
The review followed set rules. The American companies told the department why they believed the duties should stay. They sent a detailed response on December 22, 2025. Nobody from China’s side gave a formal response to the review.
Because of this, the Commerce Department had no need to do a longer review and instead did a quicker 120-day review. This was due to a lack of responses from China. Due to some delays, including a government shutdown, they finished their final review on April 14, 2026.
What This Means
The department decided that if the duties were removed, dumping could start again. They believe the Chinese companies would likely go back to selling citric acid at unfairly low prices in the U.S. They also decided that the dumping margin could be as high as 156.87 percent.
This decision means that the current additional charges on citric acid from China will stay in place. This helps protect American companies who make similar products.
Closing Notes
The U.S. Department of Commerce is committed to making sure trade rules are fair. This decision is important for keeping a fair market for citric acid producers in the U.S. The decision shows dedication to preventing unfair trade practices from happening again.
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Scot Fullerton signed the final decision on April 10, 2026. The ultimate goal is to ensure American companies can compete on a level playing field.
Legal Disclaimer
This article includes content collected from the Federal Register (federalregister.gov). The content is not an official government publication. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For case-specific consultation, please contact us. Read our full Legal Disclaimer, which also includes information on translation accuracy.
