U.S. International Trade Commission Approves Tariffs Targeting Aluminum Lithographic Printing Plates from China and Japan
by Stephanie Buka, Government Affairs Coordinator Oct 24, 2024

On October 22, 2024, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by imports of aluminum lithographic printing plates from China and Japan. The U.S. Department of Commerce determined that the printing plates are being sold at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of the People’s Republic of China. 

Chair Amy Karpel and Commissioners Rhonda Schmidtlein and Jason Kearns voted in the affirmative, while Commissioner David Johanson voted in the negative. As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the Commerce Department will issue a countervailing duty (CVD) order on imports of aluminum printing plates from China and antidumping (AD) orders on imports from China and Japan. The Commission will issue its written decision on November 4, 2024, and its public report will be available by December 2, 2024. The report may be accessed on the USITC website here.  

PRINTING United Alliance teamed up with the News Media Alliance to file a cross-industry coalition letter urging the USITC to reject the duties. Filed on September 13, 2024, the letter noted that currently, there is no U.S. supplier of the aluminum sheet that is necessary to make aluminum printing plates, so the aluminum must be imported. The letter continues, “Import duties on aluminum printing plates will hurt, not help, the domestic news, printing, publishing, and related industries, as well as the American businesses that rely on those industries.”  

In early September, the Alliance created an Action Alert to notify its membership of the USITC’s investigation. Nearly 200 email messages were delivered to members of Congress urging them to advocate against the proposed duties and support the continued availability of affordable, quality aluminum printing plates in the U.S. market. And in early October, the Alliance launched a social media campaign to raise awareness of how the proposed tariffs may devastate entire industry segments, increase costs for businesses and their customers, jeopardize jobs, limit supply, and threaten the viability of many American small businesses.  

“PRINTING United Alliance is disappointed in the International Trade Commission’s decision. The excessive duties will increase costs on printers and publishers and threaten the production of printed materials that American businesses rely on to provide essential products and services to their customers. These plates are critical to a host of industries; they are used to print newspapers, books, labels, signs, marketing and educational materials, textbooks, catalogs, mailings, restaurant menus, informational inserts in prescriptions, product instruction manuals, packaging for consumer-packaged goods, and other materials,” said Ford Bowers, CEO, PRINTING United Alliance. 

Despite the concerted efforts of the Alliance and various stakeholders to contest these trade restrictions, the USITC has ultimately decided to maintain significant tariffs on aluminum printing plates from China and Japan. With Japan facing a 91.83% antidumping (AD) duty and China subjected to a combined antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) of 151.51%, these measures will increase costs for print service providers reliant on these imports.  

Historical evidence shows tariffs raise prices and reduce available quantities of goods and services for U.S. businesses and consumers, which results in lower income, reduced employment, and lower economic output. The Alliance is a member of the Tariff Reform Coalition (TRC), organized under the umbrella of the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) advocating for the removal of the Section 232 tariffs and quotas on steel and aluminum and Section 301 tariffs on imports from China. This September 6, 2024, NFTC article describes how tariffs won’t combat inflation, but instead will hurt Americans. 

The Alliance will continue to monitor and report on the impact of the USITC’s decision on print service providers.    

In this article, Stephanie Buka, Government Affairs Coordinator, PRINTING United Alliance, discusses the USITC final determination of tariffs on aluminum lithographic printing plates from China and Japan. More information can be found at Business Excellence-Legislation or reach out to Steph should you have additional questions specific to how these issues may affect your business: sbuka@printing.org.   

To become a member of the Alliance and learn more about how our subject matter experts can assist your company with services and resources such as those mentioned in this article, please contact the Alliance membership team: 888-385-3588 / membership@printing.org.    

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Stephanie Buka Government Affairs Coordinator
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Stephanie Buka is the Government Affairs Coordinator for PRINTING United Alliance. In this role, she supports Ford Bowers, CEO, the Government Affairs team, and coordinates efforts with lobbying firm, ACG Advocacy. She manages all aspects of grassroots advocacy campaigns, including facilitating timely call-to-action alerts and updates to The Advocacy Center on key federal and state legislative issues. As a member of the Office of Corporate Communications, Buka manages the content and audience building responsibilities for the Government Affairs team. She is also responsible for the administration of the Alliance's political action committee, PrintPAC.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Buka served as a senior legislative researcher, and later as a constituent services coordinator, for the 15-member legislative body representing 1.3 million residents of Allegheny County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition to drafting legislation and addressing constituent concerns, Buka cultivated strong relationships with appointed and elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels of government.

Buka holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). She also earned a master's degree in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, along with a Certificate in Forensic Science and Law from Duquesne University.

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