EU imposes antidumping duty on Chinese aluminum flats from July 12

The European Commission will resume imposing antidumping duties on imports of aluminum flat-rolled products of Chinese origins from July 12, after postponing for nine months, the Chinese Nonferrous Metals Industry Association said in a report May 26.

A final ruling issued in October 2021 by the European Commission showed antidumping duties will amount in the range of 14.3% to 24.6%.

On Aug. 14, 2020, the European Commission initiated an anti-dumping investigation about aluminum flat-rolled products originating in China.

The commission published a regulation imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of aluminum flat-rolled products from China on Oct. 11, 2021, but at the same time, adopted a decision suspending the duties in question.

The flat-rolled aluminum products included plates and coils of between 0.2 mm and 6 mm, ≥6 mm plates as well as coil and strip with the thickness between 0.03 and 0.2 mm, except for aluminum sheet used in beverage cans, automotive panels, or aerospace applications.

China's exports of aluminum products to the EU have been declining year on year from 2019 due to trade disputes.

In 2021, China exported 380,000 mt of aluminum products to the EU, down 17.6% from a year earlier, data from Antaike, the research arm of the CNIA, showed. The products included 170,000 mt of aluminum sheet/strips.

Chinese exporters should make declarations for carbon border tax from 2023 and will be levied tax for those products failing to meet the carbon emission regulations from 2026, according to the EU's plan.

In the short term, this will not impact Chinese aluminum product exports to Europe, but challenges would rise in the coming years, according to sources.