"Pea Protein Faces 'Trade War': Not Just a Concern for Vegans" — The U.S. International Trade Commission recently initiated preliminary anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations into pea protein imported from China. Initial rulings indicate that these products have caused material injury to the domestic industry. The upcoming decisions may redefine the pea protein trade relationship between the two countries.

Preliminary Decision of the United States International Trade Commission

In a recent vote, the U.S. International Trade Commission agreed that soy protein imported from China caused substantial damage to the U.S. domestic industry.

This ruling means that the U.S. Department of Commerce will conduct further anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigations. According to the procedure, the Department of Commerce is expected to make an anti-subsidy preliminary ruling by October 5, 2023, and an anti-dumping preliminary ruling by December 19, 2023.

It is noteworthy that this anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation actually began on August 2, 2023, when the U.S. Department of Commerce officially launched the investigation.

Possible long-term effects and prospects

This ruling could further exacerbate trade frictions between China and the United States on agricultural products and food safety, especially in the growing product category of soya protein, the trade relationship between the two countries could face more uncertainty.

If the final ruling confirms the conclusions of the preliminary ruling, soya protein producers in the U.S. could benefit, but consumers could face risks of rising prices.

For Chinese soya protein exporters, this ruling may mean they need to re-evaluate their strategy in the U.S. market, including but not limited to product pricing, supply chain management, and potential market alternatives.