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China-EU relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Mainland China hits EU, US with anti-dumping probe into chemical imports, with Japan, Taiwan also targeted

  • Commerce ministry move on Sunday targets COM polymer engineering chemical imports amid rising trade friction with EU and US in particular
  • It comes less than 24 hours after CCTV-linked social media channel warns of Beijing’s deep toolbox to retaliate against ‘double standards’ EU probes

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron visit the pavilion of France at the China International Import Expo, in Shanghai in November 2019. Photo: AFP
Orange Wang
Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation on Sunday into imports of a widely used engineering chemical from the EU, US, Japan and Taiwan, as tensions rise with the major trading partners.
The commerce ministry move targeting polyformaldehyde copolymer follows a slew of anti-subsidy and anti-dumping probes into Chinese products by the European Union, the latest launched just days ago, and Washington set to slap yet another round of tariffs on Chinese new energy products citing similar reasons.

Meanwhile, Beijing’s diplomatic ties with Japan remain strained over a range of issues, and cross-strait relations are set to be tested further as a new administration takes office in Taiwan on Monday.

The launch of the probe also came less than 24 hours after a warning from Yuyuan Tantian, a Chinese social media channel affiliated to state broadcaster CCTV, that Beijing had “sufficient countermeasures” at hand against “double-standards” EU probes against Chinese industry, and was prepared to retaliate should the bloc continue to take such steps.

Polyformaldehyde copolymer, or POM copolymer, is a thermoplastic with a wide range of uses, from automotive parts, electronic appliances and industrial machinery to sports and medical equipment, pipe fittings and building materials. It is also able to partially replace metals like copper, zinc, tin and lead.

The probe should be completed within a year, but could “be extended for six months under special circumstances”, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement announcing the move on Sunday.

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