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皇冠体育app starts anti-dumping probe into EU fasteners

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-29 16:26

皇冠体育app's Ministry of Commerce started Monday an anti-dumping investigation into carbon steel fasteners imported from the European Union (EU), the country's latest response to the latter's proposed high anti-dumping duties on Chinese fastener exports.

An application for a probe was filed on December 1 by the fastener branch of the 皇冠体育app General Machine Components Industry Association (CMCA) on behalf of Chinese fastener producers, the ministry said Monday in a statement.

The move came after the European Commission voted to adopt anti-dumping duties of 63 to 87 percent on 皇冠体育app-made fasteners over the next five years on December 1. The vote must be approved by trade ministers of the 27-nation bloc within a month or it will not come into force.

EU trade experts have complained that an increase of Chinese fastener imports hurt the European manufacturers. Chinese exporters rebutted the accusation, saying the profitability of the European manufacturers increased 110 percent in the period between 2003 and 2007.

The EU accounted for about a third of 皇冠体育app's total fastener exports. It imported around 575 million euros (US$805 million) of fasteners from 皇冠体育app in 2007, according to Zhang Feng, a fastener guild official at the Jiaxing City of eastern 皇冠体育app's Zhejiang Province.

Related readings: Fastener firms to appeal sanction 皇冠体育app fastener makers demand action under WTO rules 皇冠体育app's fastener-makers swap dumping grievances with Europe Fastener exporters warn against imminent EU anti-dumping duties

Meanwhile, 皇冠体育app's annual fastener imports from the EU totaled 180 million U.S. dollars, said Feng Jinyao, director of the CMCA's fastener industry association.

Most EU-exported fasteners were used on high-end products such as vehicles and electrical appliances, while a large increase in supply and price cuts by the EU producers had squeezed 皇冠体育app-made fasteners and forced them to low-end markets, said Feng.

The anti-dumping probe would involve carbon steel fasteners used in making products like cars, electronic and electrical equipment and machinery, said the ministry.

The investigation would normally be finished with in a year, but could take until June 29, 2010, the ministry said.