The European Commission last week confirmed the opening of existing anti-dumping duties on certain corrosion-resistant coils originating in China.
The initial measures were first introduced at the end of 2017 with a preliminary decision finally taken in 2018. Currently, duties vary from 17.2 to 27.9% depending on the plant. The measures do not currently include automotive-grade HDG and were last reviewed in 2020.
Eurofer requested a review of the validity period, explaining that the cessation of the current measures would lead to a repetition of dumping and damage to European industry.
“[Eurofer] claims the possibility of a recurrence of the injury from China. In this regard, the Applicant has provided evidence that, in the event of the termination of the measures, the current level of imports of the product in question from China into the Union is likely to increase due to the presence of idle capacity in China,” the European Commission explains in a note. “In addition, oversupply due to low demand for steel in China due to developments after COVID-19, measures put in place by other third countries against the import of certain stainless steels from China, and significant and permanent reductions in transport costs from China to the Union are likely to result in diversion of imports of the product in question to the Union market if the measures expire.”
Eurofer also provided evidence that Chinese exporters sell their products in other markets at prices much lower than in the EU market, confirming that the latter remains an attractive market for Chinese exporters.
According to Eurofer, HDG imports from China to Europe have dropped significantly from a peak of 1.9 million tonnes in 2016 following the imposition of duties. However, they topped 700,000 tons last year, up from 550,000 tons in 2021.
The expiration check will be completed by the second quarter of 2024 while existing measures remain in place.
