The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has made its final decision in an antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation concerning battery components — American anode material manufacturers are not being injured by Chinese imports.
The ITC’s negative determination negates the ability of the Dept. of Commerce and Customs and Border Protection from initiating tariffs on active anode material (AAM) from China.
The AD/CVD investigation was requested in December 2024 by American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP), a group of startup companies trying to initiate domestic production of AAM, a necessary component in lithium batteries used in the energy storage and EV markets. AAAMP claimed that China’s dominance on AAM production has prevented the domestic market from establishing competitive operations. The ITC initially made an affirmative determination in January 2025 that imported active anode material from China was harming the U.S. industry, but the commission has now changed its mind.
Of the three-person commission, two voted negative while one voted in the affirmative. Commerce will not issue an antidumping duty order or a countervailing duty order on imports of AAM from China.
“This outcome is disappointing for domestic producers who were seeking trade relief in order to create a more level playing field with their Chinese competitors,” said AAAMP spokesperson Erik Olson. “The evidence produced during the investigation made one thing clear: China’s graphite industry is heavily subsidized and capable of manipulating global markets in ways that make it extraordinarily difficult for domestic producers to compete. That cannot be argued.”
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