BRUSSELS, Jan 30 (Reuters): The European Union (EU) has set import duties on certain cast iron articles to counter what it sees as dumping by Chinese producers, the latest in a series of trade measures against China.
The European Commission (EC) launched a case in December 2016 following a complaint from seven EU producers, including two units of French group Saint Gobain, about imports of products made from lamellar graphite cast iron, known as gray iron, and spheroidal graphite cast iron, known as ductile cast iron.
The products in question are wide-ranging and include gratings, drains and manhole covers.
The EU has set duties of between 15.5 and 38.1 per cent for Chinese manufacturers, the EU said in its official journal on Tuesday. The tariff will enter into force on Wednesday and last for five years.
The duties are lower than the provisional duties of between 25.3 and 42.8 per cent set in August. The EU said the amounts collected should be held, but the difference refunded.
The EU at the same time terminated its investigation into cast iron imports from India, finding there to be no dumping.
The case could well lead to a legal challenge as China complained that it should no longer have been treated as a non-market economy from December 2016.
The non-market economy status allowed its prices to be compared with those of an "analogue" country, where normal market economics did apply. In this case, India was chosen.
The EU has subsequently changed the way it handles anti-dumping cases for China.
EU sets import duties on cast iron products from China
FE Team | Published: January 30, 2018 20:54:34
EU sets import duties on cast iron products from China
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