EU levies dumping duties on China, Taiwan steel

OREANDA-NEWS. September 01, 2015. The European Commission imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of stainless steel cold-rolled flat products produced in China and Taiwan in reaction to a complaint lodged in May by Eurofer on behalf of European Union producers.

The European Commission on 27 August imposed definitive anti-dumping duties of up to 25.3pc on stainless steel cold rolled flat products imports from China and up to 6.8pc on imports from Taiwan.

Eurofer, the European steel association, said in a statement the measure was "an important move, given the long-term implication of the dumping of these products on the EU market."

"China and Taiwan have a structural overcapacity problem, and have been using the openness of the EU market to shed their excess production," said Eurofer director general Axel Eggert. "This dumping has seriously undermined the profitability of the European stainless steel industry, and has ensured that European producers have not faced a level playing field for their products."

These remedial duties are crucial if the stainless steel industry is to recover from the effects of Chinese and Taiwanese dumping, Eggert said.

EU imports of the stainless steel cold rolled flat products from the two countries rose to 583,460t in 2014 from 184,140t in 2010.

Trade authorities in the EU, the US, Brazil and Mexico are stepping up efforts to stem allegedly unfairly traded imports of steel.

China, with its centrally planned economy and the largest global steel producer, is widely viewed as the main culprit behind global overcapacity in steelmaking and allegedly unfairly traded steel. China says it is seeking to pare its uncompetitive overcapacity.