Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Finance extended the period of an antidumping duty investigation on graphite electrodes from China by three months, until July 23. METI said the extension is to "carefully review the evidence and relevant documents submitted by interested parties, while ensuring full transparency and fairness throughout the investigation process." The investigation was launched in April 2024 and recently saw the agency impose a 95.2% provisional AD on Chinese graphite electrodes, effective March 29 (see 2503250022).
The EU is growing increasingly concerned about Beijing's use of export controls and trade remedies as retaliatory tools against other nations, a senior European Commission official said this week.
Japan imposed provisional antidumping duties on graphite electrodes from China after determining the imports caused a "material injury to domestic industry," the Ministry of Finance announced March 25. The duty rate is set at 95.2% and takes effect March 29 and is in effect through July 28.
The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body on March 24 heard a request from China to establish a panel in its dispute against the EU's countervailing duties on new battery electric vehicles from China. The DSB "took note" of statements made by China and the EU and said it would "revert to this matter should a requesting member wish to do so."
The European Commission on March 19 imposed definitive antidumping duties on glass fiber yarns from China after finding that "significant Chinese overcapacity" of the yarn injured the EU industry. The duties range from 26.3% to 56.1%.
The European Commission imposed countervailing duties on aluminum road wheels from Morocco on March 14, setting duties of 5.6% on exporters "benefitting purely from the Moroccan subsidies" and 31.4% on exporters "benefitting from both Moroccan and Chinese [Belt and Road Initiative] financial contributions." The commission said its CVD investigation found that the Moroccan government was providing subsidies to its automotive industry through "grants, loans at preferential rates, and tax exemptions/reductions" that are incompatible with World Trade Organization rules. In addition, the investigation revealed that China made "direct cross-border financial contributions" to one of the two Moroccan exporters in the industry.
The U.K. on March 13 revoked the antidumping duty order on chamois leather from China after the Trade Remedies Authority conducted a transition review of the order and found that there were no U.K. producers of the subject merchandise in the period of investigation. The duties were revoked for goods falling under U.K. global tariff commodity codes 4114.10.10.00 and 4114.10.90.00.
China’s Ministry of Commerce on March 4 launched an “anti-circumvention investigation” to examine whether American companies are evading Chinese antidumping duties on certain imported optical fiber products from the U.S., according to an unofficial translation of a ministry notice. The investigation, which will last for six months, follows a February complaint made by Changfei Optical Fiber and Cable Co., which said U.S. firms are avoiding duties on “wavelength-shifted single-mode optical fibers.”
The World Trade Organization's published agenda for the Dispute Settlement Body's Feb. 24 meeting includes a request from China to establish a panel in its dispute against Turkey's measures on electric vehicles and other types of vehicles from China.
The U.K. has extended, effective Feb. 21, the antidumping duties on corrosion-resistant iron and steel products from China, until Feb. 9, 2028, the Department for International Trade announced. The duties range from 17.2% to 27.9%, including the 27.9% rate applied to non-individually examined exporters. The goods covered are "flat-rolled products of iron or alloy steel or non-alloy steel; plated or coated by hot dip galvanisation with zinc and/or aluminium and/or magnesium, whether or not alloyed with silicon; chemically passivated; with or without any additional surface treatment such as oiling or sealing," of specific metal content and "presented in coils, cut-to-length sheets and narrow strips." Excluded from the duties are products made of stainless steel, silicon-electrical steel and high-speed steel "not further worked than hot-rolled or cold-rolled."