China Imposes Provisional Duties on Industrial Plastics Imports

BEIJING (Reuters) – China announced on Thursday that it will impose provisional duties on imports of industrial plastics from the United States, European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. This decision follows a months-long anti-dumping investigation.

The provisional anti-dumping levies on polyacetal copolymers will range between 3.8% and 74.9%, depending on the country and company, and will take effect starting January 24, according to a statement from the Commerce Ministry.

The investigation was launched in May, coinciding with the U.S. increasing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and the European Union initiating its own trade inquiry into certain Chinese steel imports.

The findings of the nine-month investigation were released shortly before Donald Trump assumed office, where he is anticipated to continue the hard-line trade stance from his first term.

Between January and November of last year, China imported approximately 3 billion yuan ($409 million) worth of industrial plastics from the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, and Germany, as indicated by customs data.

The plastics in question can serve as partial substitutes for metals like copper and zinc, finding applications in auto parts, electronics, and medical equipment, as the Ministry stated.

The highest duties will be imposed on U.S. companies, while those from the European Union will face a 42% duty. Most Taiwanese and Japanese firms will incur duties of 32.6% and 43.7%, respectively.

> ($1 = 7.3316 Chinese yuan renminbi)