The European Commission published on Monday 6 April its anti-dumping duties on imports of certain woven and/or stitched glass fibre fabrics (GFF) originating in the People’s Republic of China or produced by the same Chinese-origin companies based in Egypt.
The rates are between 37.6% and 99.7% for products originating in China and 20% for those originating in Egypt.
The Commission announced the opening of its anti-dumping investigation in February 2019, following a complaint lodged by Tech-Fab Europe on behalf of producers representing more than 25% of the Union's total production of glass fibre fabrics.
The product concerned is woven fabrics made of woven and/or sewn rovings and/or continuous filament glass fibre yarns. TFVs are used for a wide variety of applications, for example, in the production of wind turbine blades, sports equipment, boat and truck equipment, and in sewer rehabilitation systems.
To report the presence of dumping, the Commission used its "country report" on China, but also the 12th and 13th Five-Year Plans published by Beijing, which stressed the importance of FTVs as a "strategic emerging industry" and indicated that it should evolve to become "one of the main industrial pillars", with comprehensive assistance and policy guidance. The new materials industry is also an industry supported under the "Made in China 2025" initiative.
Anti-subsidy investigation
On 16 May 2019, the Commission initiated a separate anti-subsidy investigation concerning the same imports. The results of this groundbreaking survey, which therefore targets not only Chinese companies producing at home but also in a third country, in this case Egypt, should be known by 15 June at the latest, EUROPE has learned. Indeed, the Commission considers that support from the Chinese authorities is not limited to companies established in China.
Link to the Official Journal of the EU: https://bit.ly/2RebcL1 (Original version in French by Hermine Donceel)