Trump administration pursues antidumping case against China

The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Chinese imports, deploying trade-policy tools the United States hasn't used for more than a quarter century in a move likely to raise tensions with Beijing.

The U.S. Commerce Department says it has begun looking into whether Chinese aluminum sheeting is selling in the United States at illegally low prices. It is the first anti-dumping case the U.S. government has initiated on its own — not in response to complaints from U.S. companies — since Washington went after Japanese semiconductor imports in 1985.

The department is also starting an investigation into whether China unfairly subsidizes aluminum sheeting, imports of which came to $603 million in the U.S. last year. It is the first such case the U.S. government has begun on its own since 1991.