U.S. launches dumping case over China's aluminium foil exports

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has launched a trade case accusing Chinese aluminium foil producers of dumping product and damaging its domestic industry, the first such case since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Aluminum Association filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions with the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission charging that unfairly traded imports of certain aluminium foil from China are causing material injury to the domestic industry.

The action was part of the industry's broad trade strategy to address overcapacity in top producer China, it said.

The move "reflects both the intensive injury being suffered by U.S. aluminium foil producers and also our commitment to ensuring that trade laws are enforced to create a level playing field for domestic producers," said Heidi Brock, President and Chief Executive of the Aluminum Association.

The antidumping margins alleged by the domestic industry range from 38 percent to more than 134 percent of the value of the imported aluminium foil.

Responding to the move, China's Commerce Ministry urged the United States to act "cautiously".

"China hopes the U.S. side will not readily resort to using trade rescue measures," it said.

(Reporting by Josephine Mason and Judy Hua; editing by Richard Pullin)