The European Commission on Jan. 16 imposed antidumping duties on fused alumina from China. The duties range from 88.7% to 110.6% and are paired with a tariff rate quota that allows a "limited volume of Chinese imports to enter the EU without duties," the commission said. The quota will apply for an initial five-year period. Fused alumina is used in the production of steel, other metals, glass and ceramics and is "widely used in defence-related applications," the commission added.
The European Commission said this week that it's setting up a process by which Chinese electric vehicle exporters can agree to limit the number of EVs they ship to Europe and set minimum prices for those sales. The new limits and price “undertakings,” the result of discussions with China’s Ministry of Commerce, could lead to the removal of the EU’s countervailing duties on certain Chinese EVs (see 2506090007).
China's Ministry of Commerce is beginning an antidumping duty probe on imported Japanese dichlorosilane, a precursor chemical used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. The ministry is accepting public comments within 20 days of Jan. 7, according to an unofficial translation, and expects to conclude the investigation within a year. The announcement came one day after the ministry announced new dual-use export controls against Japan, which were imposed in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saying that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could potentially trigger a military response (see 2601070002).
Japan recently launched an investigation on whether to renew its antidumping duties on certain potassium hydroxide from South Korea and China, according to an unofficial translation of a notice from the country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The orders, which exclude imports from Hong Kong and Macau, have imposed a tariff of 73.7% on mainland China and 49.5% on South Korea since 2016. They are set to expire in August, and the investigation is expected to be completed within a year. Japan said potassium hydroxide is used as a raw material for chemical fertilizers and detergents.
China imposed tariffs of 55% on imports of beef beginning Jan. 1, the country's Ministry of Commerce announced Dec. 31, according to an unofficial translation. The measures, which will last three years, came at the end of an antidumping investigation instituted at the end of 2024. The tariffs are levied on top of the current rate and apply to imports of beef over a set quota of 2.7 million metric tons in total from all countries. The quota for U.S. imports is 0.164 million tons in the first year and will increase to 0.171 million tons by the third year.
The European Commission on Dec. 19 imposed definitive antidumping duties on choline chloride from China, with rates ranging from 90% to 115.9%, the commission announced. Choline chloride is a chemical primarily used as an additive in feed for animals and pets. The EU-based industry is located in Belgium, Italy and Spain.
China filed a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization about Indian tariffs on information and communication technology products and subsidy measures for high efficiency solar photovoltaic modules, the WTO said Dec. 23.
World Trade Organization members on Dec. 19 agreed to let the EU impose countermeasures on imports from the U.S. due to U.S. violations of WTO rules in its antidumping duty and countervailing duty proceedings on Spanish ripe olives, the WTO announced.
The U.K. extended its antidumping duties on aluminum foil in rolls from China until June 6, 2029. Specifically, the duties cover aluminum foil "of a thickness of 0.007mm or more but less than 0.021mm, not backed, not further worked than rolled but whether or not embossed, in low weight rolls of a weight not exceeding 10kg." Respondent CeDo (Shanghai) will receive a 14.2% AD rate, respondent Ningbo Times Aluminum Foil Technology will receive a 15.6% rate, respondents that weren't individually investigated will receive a 14.6% rate, and the all-others rate will be 35.6%.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Trump administration will recommend renewal of USMCA only if 20 issues can be resolved, and maybe more, as he told Congress this isn't an exhaustive list.