The following press release was issued by the American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP), which was formed by the U.S.- based members of NAGA.

Washington, D.C. – Today, the American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP) applauds the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) decision to impose tariffs of up to 721% on natural and artificial graphite active anode material (AAM) from China, which is used to produce lithium-ion battery anode material. The tariffs are the result of an affirmative preliminary determination by Commerce in its countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of Chinese graphite to the United States. The CVD investigation was conducted to assess whether the Chinese government is subsidizing the production and supply of graphite AAM to the United States.    

“This is a landmark day for North American graphite producers. Commerce’s ruling proves what the industry has asserted all along: the Chinese government has been heavily subsidizing graphite production. This is one of many tools in China’s policy playbook to entrench its control of the global graphite AAM market, allowing them to manipulate prices and smother the ability of a North American graphite AAM industry to grow and develop,” said AAAMP spokesperson Erik Olson.

Now, synthetic and natural graphite AAM is subject to a max tariff rate of 776% from China, including existing 25% Section 301 tariffs and President Trump’s current 30% tariffs on goods from China.    

Commerce has been simultaneously conducting an antidumping duty (AD) investigation to determine whether the graphite is being sold at less than fair value (“dumped”). The preliminary decision in the AD investigation will be issued on July 17^th, and any resulting anti-dumping tariffs will stack on the total tariff rates calculated above. The final determinations for both the AD and CVD investigations will be issued around December 5^th, 2025. Further tariffs could be added onto graphite AAM imports at a later date because of an unrelated Section 232 investigation Commerce is conducting.

“AAAMP now looks forward to Commerce’s next preliminary determination in July. We are confident that the outcome will be in our favor again,” said Olson. “Taken together, these investigations demonstrate that China dumps artificially cheap graphite into global markets to undercut competition and wield geopolitical influence. It is all made possible by a concerted combination of massive subsidies and other state-sponsored policies.”

The U.S.-based members of AAAMP, alongside other North American AAM industry petitioners, initiated the AD/CVD trade case with Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC) in December 2024. The case has proceeded in full since the ITC ruled on January 31^st that China is preventing the establishment of a domestic graphite AAM industry.

###