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EU ratifies provisional antidumping duties on Chinese coated fine paper
BRUSSELS, Nov. 17, 2010 (RISI) - The European Commission (EC) has approved provisional import duties on coated fine paper (CFP) imported from China.
The measure, which has come into force as of November 17, puts in place a 39.1% import duty for all Chinese producers with the exception of the pulp and paper producing giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which gets a lower rate of 19.7%.
The import duty applies to so-called fine paper, that is paper or paperboard, coated on one or both sides, in sheets and reels with basis weight of 70-400 g/mĀ² and with brightness of more than ISO 84. Kraft paper and kraft paperboard are excluded. The probe does not cover rolls suitable for use in web-fed presses.
Frank Leerkotte, managing director of the European association of fine paper manufactures CEPIFINE, welcomed the move.
"We are happy to see that the EC is ready to protect our companies and our employees from the unfair trade practices by Chinese producers," he commented. Leerkotte added that the EC will continue to investigate this matter over the next six months.
A decision on any permanent antidumping measures is expected in mid-May 2011. Announcements will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The EC investigation to determine whether CFP exported from China was being dumped in the EU and if the possible dumping had caused any injury to the EU industry was initiated in February. It followed a complained lodged by CEPIFINE on behalf of Schleufelen, Burgo, Lecta and Sappi Europe.
In April, following another CEPIFINE complaint, the EC started an investigation into whether the same product exported from China to the EU was being unfairly subsidized and whether this had caused any injury to the EU industry. The deadline for preliminary measures in this case in January 15, 2011.
American producers concerned with Asian imports: In the US, the antidumping and countervailing duties for Chinese and Indonesian fine paper exporters were ratified by the US government earlier this year. The combined tariffs for Chinese exporters range from 25.2% to 313.8% depending on the supplier. The combined tariffs on all Indonesian exporters were set at 38%.
In Brazil, printing and writing producers are currently evaluating the possibility of requesting antidumping measures, RISI's newsletter PPI Latin America reported.
The Brazilian pulp and paper association Bracelpa estimates that around 54% of the CWF market share volume was lost to imports during the first nine months of 2010 compared to the year-earlier period. Bracelpa warned that the trend of increasing imports is very likely to continue the next year.
The association added that in view of the protective measures against Asian fine paper exports being adopted in the US and the EU, Brazil will now find itself in an extremely vulnerable position.
In Argentina, the government is currently considering an application by the local producer Ledesma to impose antidumping measures against CFP imports from Asia, Austria, Finland and the US. The decision is expected before the end of the year.
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