EU imposes punitive duties to prevent Chinese ceramics dumping

BRUSSELS (Reuters): The European Union will impose punitive duties on Chinese imports of ceramic tableware and kitchenware to counter what it says is dumping at artificially low prices to crowd out local products. Chinese producers will be subject to tariffs of between 13.1% and 36.1% from Thursday, according to a publication in the EU’s official journal. Such tariffs are normally valid for five years, but can be extended.

Ceramic tableware and kitchenware imports from China totalled 728 million Euros (US$ 944.8 million) in 2011, according to the European Commission, which is investigating 31 dumping and subsidies cases, 18 of them involving China.

The Commission launched its largest case last September over the alleged dumping by Chinese producers of 21 billion Euros of solar panels and components, and said on Wednesday it was ready to launch an investigation into Chinese imports of mobile telecoms equipment. The Brussels-based Foreign Trade Association has said consumers would likely face a rise in prices as a result of higher duties imposed to prevent dumping.

The European Ceramic Industry Association and the European Federation for Table and Ornamental ware, which brought the initial complaint, said dumped Chinese imports caused the loss of 10,000 jobs among EU producers in the past five years.

They added that provisional duties imposed in November to counter dumping of ceramics products had already allowed some EU companies, most of them small and medium-sized, to increase production and headcount. (US$ 1 = 0.7705 Euros)