EU targets Chinese plastic exports as Brussels widens drive to counter ‘unfair’ trade practices
- Anti-dumping duties of up to 24.2 per cent will be imposed on a product used to make plastic bottles following complaints European firms are being undercut
- The move risks further inflaming tensions after the EU began an investigation into subsidies in the Chinese electric vehicle industry
Provisional duties ranging from 6.6 per cent to 24.2 per cent will be imposed on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – a substance widely used in the production of plastic bottles – from next Tuesday,, the Post has learned.
An EU investigation, launched in March after a complaint from the industry, found that there was “threat of a clear and foreseeable imminent injury” to European businesses.
EU investigators found that the “influx” of Chinese PET exports – which were being sold at less than the domestic price, a practice also known as dumping – was forcing European firms to reduce their rates accordingly.
The complaint from industry body PET Europe, cited Beijing’s own 13th Five-Year Plan and EU documents outlining Chinese state subsidies.
China’s shipments of non-cellular PET to the EU rose by 43.7 per cent over the first 10 months of this year compared with a year earlier to US$114 million, according to Chinese customs statistics
