US–China Trade Daily Hightlights | 2026-08-05

1) Executive Summary

– Today’s brief covers 2 U.S. Department of Commerce (International Trade Administration) actions. The policy instruments involved are countervailing duties (CVD) and antidumping duties (AD). Commerce issued a preliminary critical circumstances determination in part in a CVD investigation on certain fatty acids from Indonesia and preliminary results (with a partial rescission) in an AD administrative review on diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated flat-rolled steel products from Japan. Both items include standard processes for public comment and, if requested, hearings.

2) Updates by Authority

DOC (Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration)

– Headline (one line, bold):
Certain fatty acids from Indonesia — AD_CVD (TRADE_REMEDY)

Summary:
Commerce preliminarily determines that critical circumstances exist, in part, in the countervailing duty investigation of certain fatty acids from Indonesia. The finding is affirmative for PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia and “All others,” and negative for PT Musim Mas. The period of investigation is January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

Key Details (bullets):

  • – Authority: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, International Trade Administration
  • – Policy Type: AD_CVD
  • – Event Type: TRADE_REMEDY
  • – Investigation No.: C-560-849; FR Doc No. 2026-15890
  • – Period of Investigation: January 1, 2025–December 31, 2025
  • – Preliminary finding on subsidies: Commerce identified export-contingent programs as inconsistent with the SCM Agreement
  • – Critical circumstances result: Affirmative for PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia and “All others”; negative for PT Musim Mas
  • – Suspension of liquidation: For PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia and “All others,” CBP to suspend liquidation for entries on/after April 24, 2026 (90 days prior to July 23, 2026 preliminary determination publication), with cash deposits at the preliminary subsidy rates; remains in effect until further notice
  • – Final critical circumstances determination: To be issued with the final determination in the investigation
  • – Public comment: Case briefs due no later than seven days after the last verification report; rebuttals five days later; hearing requests due within 30 days of publication
  • – Applicable date: August 5, 2026
  • – Source:
    – Link: https://lawyerfanzhang.com/certain-fatty-acids-from-indonesia-preliminary-determination-of-critical-circumstances-in-part-in-the-countervailing-duty-investigation/

– Headline (one line, bold):
Diffusion-annealed nickel-plated flat-rolled steel products from Japan — AD_CVD (TRADE_REMEDY)

Summary:
Commerce preliminarily determines that Toyo Kohan Co., Ltd. did not sell subject merchandise at less than normal value during the May 1, 2024–April 30, 2025 period of review. Commerce also rescinds the administrative review for 14 companies due to no reviewable, suspended entries during the period. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

Key Details (bullets):

3) Key Takeaways (Factual)

  • – Commerce issued a preliminary “critical circumstances” finding in part in the CVD investigation of certain fatty acids from Indonesia, with retroactive suspension of liquidation for PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia and “All others” to April 24, 2026.
  • – The same determination found no critical circumstances for PT Musim Mas.
  • – In the AD administrative review of diffusion-annealed, nickel-plated steel products from Japan, Commerce preliminarily set a 0.00% margin for Toyo Kohan Co., Ltd.
  • – Commerce rescinded the AD review for 14 Japanese companies due to no reviewable, suspended entries during the period of review.
  • – Both actions provide for post-preliminary public comments and, if requested, hearings under the cited regulatory timelines.

4) Full Source Links (Index)

5) Legal Disclaimer

This article includes content collected and summarized from publicly available U.S. government materials, including the Federal Register (federalregister.gov). The content presented is not an official government publication and does not represent the views of any U.S. government authority.

This article is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, compliance advice, or recommendations for any specific entity or transaction. Readers should refer to the original official documents and consult qualified professionals before making decisions based on this information.