Beijing slaps anti-dumping tariffs on Taiwan’s polycarbonates after protracted probe
- From Saturday, imports of the thermoplastic polymer from Taiwan will be charged extra duty of up to 22.4 per cent, commerce ministry in Beijing says
- Move to be in place for five years, ministry statement says, as Beijing appears to lean on trade tools to push cross-strait message
Imports of the thermoplastic polymer from Taiwan will be charged the extra duty for the next five years, the mainland Ministry of Commerce said in a statement issued on Friday.
It was the final ruling of the ministry’s prolonged anti-dumping investigation into polycarbonates from Taiwan, which started in November 2022.
Last December, Beijing also suspended tariff cuts for 12 important petrochemical products from Taiwan amid growing cross-strait tensions, with the commerce ministry accusing Taipei of placing “barriers” on mainland imports.
“The investigation agency finally determined that there was dumping of the investigated products, that the mainland’s polycarbonate industry had been substantially damaged, and that there was a causal relationship between the dumping and the substantial damage,” the ministry statement said.
Products of two manufacturers, Formosa Chemicals & Fibre and Idemitsu Chemicals Taiwan, will draw 9 per cent anti-dumping duty, going up to 12.2 per cent for Chimei Corp and Chilin Technology, and to 22.4 per cent for those of other Taiwanese companies, the ministry ruling said.
The levy will also be applied retroactively to polycarbonate products imported after August 15 last year but already charged a “guarantee deposit” payable to mainland customs in accordance with a preliminary ministry ruling on August 14.
For imports between August 15 and December 14, customs will calculate the final charge based on Friday’s ministry ruling and refund the excess. They will also not seek to collect any arrears if the deposit is found to have been less than the amount required. Deposits for imports from December 15 to April 19 will be refunded.
Polycarbonate is a commonly used plastic material with a wide range of applications in consumer electronics, automobiles, optics, packaging and medical devices.
The anti-dumping probe was initiated upon the request of a group of mainland chemical companies on behalf of the industry. The commerce ministry decided to extend the investigation deadline of November 30, 2023, to May 29 this year “due to the complexity” of the case.
Beijing has appeared to step up its use of trade and economic policy tools to send a political message to Taiwan as the self-ruled island gets ready to welcome a new president from the ruling independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The two sides have maintained strong economic ties but political and military tensions have intensified in recent years.
