Brussels, 12/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission could this week initiate proceedings at the Geneva-based WTO against Chinese duties on European stainless steel tubes.
This is a new episode in the trade dispute between the European Union and China. The EU plans to attack China on the abusive use of anti-dumping measures against the EU's exports of stainless steel tubes. “We are in the process with (European Trade Commissioner Karel) De Gucht of filing a complaint, as Japan did, to the World Trade Organisation”, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani said on the sidelines of a conference in Paris. According to Community sources, the proceedings could be initiated on Thursday or Friday.
The Chinese duties hit the Spanish company Tubacex and the German company Salzgitter particularly badly - duties of about 15%. Have been imposed on their exports. Japan, which is also concerned, contested the Chinese duties on stainless steel tubes with the WTO in December (DS 454).
European exports of stainless steel tubes represent tens of millions of euro, and EU production stood at 13.8 million tonnes in 2012, according to figures from the German industry. China manufactures nearly half the world's production in stainless steel tubes. This new conflict comes at a time when Brussels and Beijing are involved in a dispute following the European Commission's decision to impose provisional anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panels and to carry out an investigation into the dumping and subsidies from which Chinese telecoms equipment suppliers benefit. China responded to these decisions by announcing an anti-dumping investigation into seamless stainless steel tubes exported by the EU (as well as by the US and Japan) and a similar investigation against European wine. “It's mistaken to think that we could do this as a tit-for-tat against China. A procedure with the WTO like this requires months of preparation”, said De Gucht's spokesperson, John Clancy, on Tuesday - as reported by AFP. However, observers highlight the unaccustomed speed with which the Commission took action on this file. The EU is thus apparently showing China that the EU will contest all the abusive duties deriving more from retaliatory measures than measures targeting unfair practices. In February, the EU won its case against China at the WTO on the issue of X-ray scanners - with the WTO judging the Chinese anti-dumping duties imposed on European scanners since 2011 as groundless after an objective assessment. (EH/transl.fl)