EU Initiates Anti-Dumping Investigation on Chinese Sekdogangpan Steel Sheets

The European Union (EU) Commission has launched an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese-made tinplate steel, according to major foreign media reports on the 16th (local time).

The Commission announced through the EU Official Journal that it has initiated the anti-dumping investigation following a complaint from the European Steel Association Eurofer.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Eurofer claimed that Chinese companies are profiting from distortions in raw material prices, which account for the largest portion of production costs for tinplate steel. Tinplate steel is a steel product used in food packaging cans such as for canned goods and in electronic components.

Eurofer also argued that while sales volume in the related industries within the EU decreased by about 25% from 2021 to 2023, imports from China more than doubled, stating that the anti-dumping investigation is an important step to restore a level playing field.

The EU anti-dumping investigation can take up to 14 months, but provisional tariffs can be imposed from about 7 to 8 months after the investigation begins.

This investigation appears to be an extension of various trade measures the EU has taken since last year in response to the surge in Chinese imports. Previously, the Commission launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles in October last year.

Amid recent announcements by the United States to raise tariffs on China’s key strategic industry products such as electric vehicles and batteries, there are expectations that the EU will follow a similar course.

At a regular briefing yesterday, the EU Commission responded to questions about the US tariff increases on Chinese goods by stating, "We note that these measures are a response to US concerns about overproduction and unfair trade practices," adding, "The EU shares these concerns and is responding using our tools within the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules."

China is expected to oppose the EU’s anti-dumping investigation into tinplate steel. A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on the same day that the US and EU’s claims of "Chinese overproduction" are "blatant protectionism," arguing that "a country cannot be labeled as an overproducer simply because it has production capacity beyond its own needs."