China Slaps up to 74.9% Anti-Dumping Duties on U.S., EU, Japan, and Taiwan Plastics Despite 90-Day Truce

China has imposed radical anti -dumping rights on imports of polyformaldehyde copolymers (POM) – a high -performance engineering plastic – from the United States, the European Union, Japan and Taiwan, concluding a commercial survey which further intensifies the global economic friction.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced the prices on Sunday, May 19, saying that he found that producers from the four regions had thrown Pom Copolymers on the Chinese market, harming national manufacturers. Tasks, to count immediately, vary from 3.8% to 74.9%, depending on the country and the company involved.

We hit the hardest ones, Taiwan companies have a leniency

Among the targeted countries, the United States faces the highest tasks, up to 74.9%, on its exports of Pom Copolymers to China. European companies will be subject to 34.5%prices, while Japanese exporters will face 35.5%, although ASAHI Kasei Corp has obtained a reduced rate of 24.5%.

The overall Taiwan rights rate was set at 32.6%, but two large Taiwanese manufacturers – Formosa Plastics and Polyplastic Taiwan – have performed much 4%and 3.8%, respectively.

The ministry said that this decision follows the conclusion of an anti-dumping survey launched in May 2024, shortly after the Biden administration imposed acute price hikes on Chinese electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment and other goods. The American prices, which have increased tensions between Washington and Beijing, are largely considered to be a trigger for the reprisal investigation in China.

What are Pom Copolymers and why do they matter?

Pom copolymers, also called acetal plastics, are widely used in industries ranging from automotive manufacturing in electronics and consumer medical devices. These plastics can partially replace metal components such as copper and zinc because of their high resistance, rigidity and their resistance to wear and their solvents. Their growing use in vehicle parts, precision instruments and equipment sets highlights their industrial importance.

In its declaration, the Ministry of Commerce said: “The spill of Copolymers Pom Importés has caused substantial damage to national industry, and the taxation of anti -dumping tasks complies with the regulations of Chinese law and the WTO.”

This decision aims to protect national producers, many of whom had asked Beijing to investigate what they alleged were unjust imports at an unjust price flooding the market.

In the midst of the 90 -day price break

While anti-dumping measures are formulated as a strategy for protecting the domestic market, the time of the survey and its conclusion are closely aligned with the increase in trade hostilities between China and the United States.

The investigation was launched just a few days after the United States announced new prices on Chinese manufacturing goods, reviving a pricing spiral. Beijing’s response now adds pressure on manufacturers of American chemicals and plastic at a time when the two countries are trying to stabilize trade relations.

The announcement also comes a few days after Washington and Beijing agreed with a 90 -day truce, aimed at reducing some of the punitive prices on the other’s goods. This ceasefire now seems fragile, analysts warning that the latter decision could cause new reprisal measures.

POM Copolymers’ rates underline the use of commercial defense instruments more and more assertive to counter what it considers as a protectionism politically motivated by the United States and its allies. The ministry’s decision, although legally supervised, has a strategic weight.

The Chinese declaration stressed that the investigation had been carried out “in accordance with the principles of the WTO” and that the duties would remain until further notice to “restore the conditions of the fair market”. Six large Chinese companies in the plastic and chemical sectors participated in the petition that sparked the survey.

Chinese commercial authorities have said that the investigation had been carried out with “equity, transparency and accession to international trade standards”.

Analysts suggest that the inclusion of several business partners – in particular American allies such as the EU and Japan – reflects Beijing’s efforts to expand its defensive posture in the middle of the growing Western coordination on trade policy linked to China.

With tasks up to 74.9%, new prices will considerably reduce the economic viability of shipping poms in China for many foreign producers. For American exporters, in particular, the measure can represent an effective market block.

Beijing’s decision should also be read as a signal that China will not hesitate to retaliate with clean prices, especially in the sectors where its domestic supply base is considered strong or strategic.

Although the 90-day truce between the United States and China officially remains in place, this last development shows that trade hostilities are far from resolved.