The Commerce Department's International Trade Administration is starting a countervailing duty investigation on sol gel alumina-based ceramic abrasive grains from China, following a petition filed by a U.S. producer, Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc. The petition claims that these products benefit from unfair subsidies provided by the Chinese government and harm the U.S. industry by increasing imports, reducing market share, and depressing prices. The investigation will check whether the subsidies are causing material injury or threatening to cause injury. Interested parties can submit comments on the scope of the investigation and must follow specific filing requirements through the Commerce Department's electronic system.
Simple Explanation
The U.S. government is checking if a type of rough material, used for grinding and sanding and brought in from China, is being sold unfairly cheap because of special help from the Chinese government. They're doing this because a company in the U.S. thinks this is hurting their business, and people can give their thoughts about this investigation.