8
NEWS
China retaliates
with tariffs against
EU fasteners
On 23 December 2009, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced a
preliminary ruling (Notice no. 115 (2009)) imposing anti-dumping tariffs
against steel fasteners from the European Union.
The announcement says, “The Ministry of Commerce initially determines that: there exists
dumping of certain iron or steel fasteners originating in the EU; substantial injury has been caused
to the Chinese certain iron or steel fasteners industry; and at the same time there exists a causal
relationship between the dumping and substantial injury.”
It goes on to say “the Ministry of Commerce decides to impose provisional anti-dumping
measures in the form of cash guarantees.” From 28 December 2009 Chinese Customs started to
collect these guarantees on products falling within CN codes 73181200, 73181400, 73182100
and 73182200, including wood screws, self tapping screws, bolts, and washers. Subsequent
information sourced from the Chinese Fastener Industry Association confirmed that the affected
range was the same as that cited in EU anti-dumping regulation 91/2009 brought into force
against imports from China on 26 January 2009.
The guarantees have been applied at a general rate of 24.6%. The only exception is
KAMAX-Werke Rudolf Kellerman GmbH & Co, KG to which an individual rate of 16.8% is applied.
Interested parties were given 20 days from the publication of the Notice to submit written
comments and supporting evidence to the Ministry.
On 29 December Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that China’s Ministry of Commerce
would extend the anti-dumping investigation. The report says the investigation into carbon steel
fasteners imported from the European Union would be prolonged by six months to 29 June 2010
because “the situation in this case is quite special and complicated.” No further explanation was
available from the Ministry and none of the documentation issued publicly by the Chinese Ministry
of Commerce provides any basis for the assessment of dumping.
European Industrial Fastener Institute president, Anders Karlsson told this magazine that the
EIFI had decided it was not in a position to participate in the Chinese investigation. “We estimated
that the costs, with translations and the necessity of legal representation in China, could be
in excess of 100,000 euros just for one company.” At the time the Chinese investigation was
announced EIFI calculated that around 5,000 tonnes of fasteners, falling within the remit of the
investigation, were being exported to China at a value of around 6,000 euros per tonne. Very little
was directly exported by manufacturers, Karlsson reckons, with most of the volume going through
the automotive supply chain. “Such a small quantity of fasteners cannot possibly affect the Chinese
industry,” says Karlsson. “The value per tonne is also extremely high, perhaps twice the average
value of screws sold in the European domestic market, so it is very difficult to see how this has
anything to do with dumping.”
Geoff Hopwood, president of the European Fastener Distributors Association, is concerned that
some European distributors will be adversely affected by the Chinese action. EFDA research into
Eurostat data suggests that the vast majority of exports of the affected fastener range will be
from Germany and could be valued at as much as 100 million euros. Hopwood said, “As far as
EFDA is concerned this is further evidence of the damage and disruption brought about by ‘trade
protectionist’ mindsets and measures. EU politicians and officials cannot be surprised by retaliation
to their meddling in the operation of a global marketplace. Sadly, it is the wider EU business
community and consumers that have, again, to pay the price.”
A World Trade Organisation panel was convened in October 2009, at Chinese request, to
consider the validity of EU anti-dumping measures against carbon steel fasteners from China.
Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 61 January 2010
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140