China's textile industry may face further investigation from the
European Union, after the largest ever anti-dumping tariff on the
nation's textiles was imposed on certain chemical fabric products
last year.
The European Union has notified China about an anti-absorption
investigation into chemical fabric cloth imported from China, a
spokesman from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export
of Textile (CCCT) said.
The investigation will cover more than 1,000 textile
enterprises. The value of relevant products is over US$487
million.
This shows that "the European Union's restrictions on exports
from China are getting stricter," said Lu Li, an official from the
CCCT.
The European Union last year started to impose a five-year
anti-dumping duty on certain finished polyester filament fabrics
from China. The tariff, imposed on nearly 1,000 textile
enterprises, ranges from 14.1 percent to 56.2 percent.
The anti-dumping duty has decreased the market share of related
Chinese products in the European Union to 6.5 percent, compared
with 55 percent before the punishment, according to CCCT
statistics.
The anti-absorption investigation, when completed, may double
the anti-dumping rate of these products.
The investigation aims to discover whether the export price is
decreased, meaning the sale price in the European Union is not
being influenced by the anti-dumping duty.
"Though the market share of these products has decreased
dramatically as a result of the duty, the price did not decrease
much," China Business News quoted Cao Xinyu, from the CCCT, as
saying.
Under EU regulations, the dumping margin will be recalculated if
the point of absorption is found.
The investigation, though not officially published yet, has
drawn immediate attention from the industry in China. The CCCT is
gathering enterprises to work on the action needed against the
investigation.
Enterprises said they have prepared for the investigation. "We
are preparing the necessary materials to prove to the European
Union that we did not absorb the cost," said a spokesperson from
the Zhejiang Zhengkai Group Co Ltd, which attained market economy
status during last year's investigation and was charged with 14.1
percent duty, the lowest among Chinese enterprises.
Anti-absorption investigations, according to Wu Xiaochen, an
anti-dumping expert with Seafront Law Firm, generally last less
than one year. Wu encouraged enterprises to react actively to the
investigation to protect their interests.
The European Union has previously initiated an anti-absorption
investigation into sodium cyclamate from China, but cancelled it
when no absorption was found.
(China Daily December 22, 2006)