Recently, the International Trade Law Team of Beijing Grandwin Law Firm achieved a comprehensive victory in the closely watched U.S. anti-dumping investigation on Thai citric acid and the subsequent series of five consecutive annual administrative reviews. Under the leadership of Dr. Jian GUAN, the firm’s Managing Partner, the team not only successfully secured a low tariff rate for the client and terminated the countervailing duty investigation in the initial proceeding but also obtained “zero-duty” rulings in five consecutive administrative reviews from 2020 to 2024. This outcome has robustly safeguarded the client’s core interests and supply chain security in the United States, the world’s largest citric acid market.

The case originated from trade remedy investigations initiated by U.S. domestic industries in 2017, involving complex circumstances and intense disputes. In response to the applicants’ numerous distorted allegations regarding the client’s “Chinese background,” Dr. Jian GUAN’s team, leveraging a profound understanding of international trade rules and extensive practical experience, assisted the client in conducting efficient and precise legal defenses and factual clarifications. Through detailed data analysis, robust legal arguments, and multiple rounds of procedural engagements, the team successfully guided the U.S. investigating authorities to focus on facts and rules, ultimately refuting the false allegations and steering the case back on track.

The victory in this series of cases holds significant economic and strategic value. Economically, the consecutive “zero-duty” results have completely exempted the client from potential punitive tariffs as high as 10–30%, solidifying its market access and competitiveness in the U.S. market, which has an annual scale of approximately $1.2 billion, and ensuring the strategic value of the client’s production base in Thailand. From an industry and legal perspective, the case successfully dismantled the “association allegation” template often used against Chinese-invested enterprises in Southeast Asia, setting a precedent for similar enterprises to address complex international trade investigations. It also validated the feasibility of leveraging third-country production bases in global strategies to mitigate specific market risks.

The exceptional professional capabilities demonstrated by Grandwin Law Firm in this case have been highly recognized within the industry. The case was awarded the “Deal of the Year” award by the internationally renowned legal media China Business Law Journal and was selected as a“Typical Legal Service Case in Belt and Road Dispute Resolution” by Legal Daily.

This series of victories once again highlights the leading strength of Grandwin Law Firm’s International Trade Team in handling high-difficulty, cross-jurisdictional trade remedy cases and underscores the firm’s unwavering commitment to providing strategic legal solutions for clients at the forefront of global trade rules.