China slapped duties of up to 75 percent on imports of plastics from the United States, European Union, Taiwan, and Japan on Monday, following an investigation into alleged dumping, Beijing’s commerce ministry said.
The new measures focus specifically on polyformaldehyde copolymer, a type of plastic widely used in car parts, medical devices, and household appliances. The duties vary, ranging from 3.8 percent to as high as 74.9 percent, and officially took effect on Monday.
This move comes shortly after China and the United States agreed to reduce many of the tariffs they had imposed on each other’s products for a 90-day period, aiming to ease tensions in their ongoing trade conflict. Despite this temporary truce, Beijing has continued to take actions it views as protecting its domestic industries from unfair foreign competition.
China’s commerce ministry said it conducted a thorough investigation before deciding to apply these anti-dumping duties. Dumping refers to foreign companies selling products at unfairly low prices in order to gain market share and hurt local producers. By imposing these levies, China aims to prevent what it sees as harmful pricing practices.
These duties will affect plastics imported from several major economies. Besides the United States, the European Union, Taiwan, and Japan are among the countries targeted.
