Chinese aluminium wheels face EU anti-dumping

LONDON (Commodity Online): In yet another blow to Chinese goods exported to the European Union, the EU has imposed anti-dumping duty on aluminium vehicle wheels from China.

According to an EU press note, it has slapped provisional anti-dumping duties of up to 20.6 per cent on imports of aluminium vehicle wheels from China after a complaint of unfair competition from European manufacturers.

The European Commission said an investigation had revealed imports of Chinese aluminium wheels, used by car makers such as Renault and BMW harmed European producers.

EU manufacturers had suffered a significant decrease in production and sales, and a loss of market share, as well as price depression due to cheaper imports from China.

A provisional anti-dumping duty is hereby imposed on imports of aluminium road wheels ... originating in the People's Republic of China," the commission said.

The commission said imports of Chinese wheels had increased by 66 percent, from 3.7 million units in 2006 to 6.1 million units by June 2009, and its market share had nearly doubled from 6.3 percent in 2006 to 12.4 percent in 2009.

China denied the dumping charges when EU trade regulators launched the investigation in August last year, and said the investigation was not in line with World Trade Organization rules.

Chinese officials had warned the investigation and duties imposed could raise the cost of repairs for customers, slow the recovery of the European auto sector and hurt the interests of both China and Europe.

Last month, Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation into a type of optical fibre imported from the United States and European Union, and last December, imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 24.6 percent on imports of steels fasteners from Europe.