China Imposes Anti-Dumping Duties on Polycarbonate Products from Taiwan

The Chinese government will impose anti-dumping duties on polycarbonate (PC, Lexan) products from Taiwan.

On the 19th, the Ministry of Commerce of China announced on its website that "the investigating authority has finally recognized that the investigated products (from Taiwan) have caused substantial damage to the mainland (China) polycarbonate industry, and that there is a causal relationship between dumping and the substantial damage."

Accordingly, China plans to impose anti-dumping duties ranging from 9.0% to 22.4% on Taiwanese polycarbonate manufacturers starting from the 20th.

Polycarbonate is a plastic material used in electronics and electrical applications, sheets and films, automobiles, optics, packaging, medical devices, safety and protection, among other fields. It is also used in sports equipment and smartphones.

Previously, on November 30, 2022, the Ministry of Commerce of China announced the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation on Taiwanese PC products, stating that "five Chinese companies reported losses due to the dumping offensive of Taiwanese PC products."

According to China's anti-dumping regulations, the investigation period is 12 months and was originally scheduled to end at the end of November last year. However, Chinese authorities announced an extension of the investigation period until the end of May this year.

At that time, the Ministry of Commerce explained the extension of the anti-dumping investigation period by citing "consideration of the complex situation," but some interpreted it as a move to pressure the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has a pro-American and pro-independence stance, ahead of the Taiwanese presidential election.

Around the same time, China also extended the investigation period on whether Taiwan's import restrictions on 2,455 Chinese domestic products constitute trade barriers from the original deadline of October 12 last year to January 12 this year, one day before the Taiwanese presidential election, citing the complexity of the issue.