• China imposes anti-dumping duties of up to 74.9% on imported plastics.
• The duties impact imports from the US, EU, Japan, and Taiwan.
• The move follows a probe into dumping practices affecting domestic markets.

China's commerce ministry has recently announced anti-dumping duties as high as 74.9% on imports of POM copolymers, a type of engineering plastic, from the United States, European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. The ministry's actions come in the wake of a probe initiated in May 2024, shortly after the U.S. raised tariffs on various Chinese goods, including electric vehicles and computer chips, indicating ongoing trade tensions between the two nations, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.

The specific duties include the highest rate of 74.9% applied to American imports, while European shipments will incur a 34.5% duty. Additionally, Japanese imports face a 35.5% duty, except for Asahi Kasei Corp, which received a reduced rate of 24.5%. Imports from Taiwan are generally subjected to a 32.6% tariff, with Formosa Plastics and Polyplastics Taiwan receiving lower rates of 4% and 3.8%, respectively, according to Channel News Asia, TRT Global, and India Times.

The commerce ministry determined that these imports were being dumped on the Chinese market, causing substantial damage to domestic producers. This decision underscores China's ongoing use of trade measures as leverage in its diplomatic relationships, as evidenced by previous tariffs on other imported goods. The timing of these duties, despite a recent 90-day tariff reduction truce between the U.S. and China, indicates a complex and evolving trade relationship, as noted by SCMP and Channel News Asia.