This is a hard-won result achieved by the Jiaxing Fasteners Import & Export Enterprises Association through two delegations to the European Union to lobby for defense. This not only dispelled the concerns of the normal fastener orders of the fastener companies in the city, but also fought for the next half of the lobbying work for six months.
The European Commission originally scheduled the preliminary ruling on the case on August 9 and imposing temporary anti-dumping duties on the companies involved. “This decision reflects their cautious attitude towards this case. It also shows that our previous stage of lobbying has achieved good results,†said Zhang Xingfang, deputy director of the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau.
As the main area involved in the anti-dumping case, the total amount involved in the city was 97 million U.S. dollars, involving more than 90 fastener production and trading companies in the city. After the incident, the Municipal Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation organized a positive response on the one hand and on the other hand directed the Jiaxing Fasteners Import & Export Enterprises Association to submit a non-damage defence statement to the European Commission on December 19 last year to represent the entire industry. There was no damage defense, and two groups were invited to participate in the hearings in the EU in February and May of this year. At the same time, activities such as lobbying and defense were conducted.
This series of actions exerted pressure on the European Commission’s decision-making and won more support from the media within the EU. Some of the defenses put forward by the Association were also recognized by the officials of the European Commission. The European Commission finally decided to abandon the temporary anti-dumping measures that should have started on August 9.
However, the outcome of the final ruling in February next year remains unpredictable. Zhang Fangfang said that with the rise of trade protectionism within the EU, the recent anti-dumping investigations against China have proliferated, and the game of various interests will affect the verdict of the case. In particular, the European Union vetoed the application for the market economy status of all Chinese companies, which made China’s fastener companies lose their chances of obtaining low tax rates. “So only if the establishment of damage is fundamentally rejected, can we really guarantee the interests of the fastener industry. ."
It is reported that the Jiaxing Fasteners Import & Export Enterprises Association will also have two visits to the EU in the second half of the year, including a counter statement made by various stakeholders on September 18. This is also the first time in 20 years that the European Commission has arranged for the relevant stakeholders to make statements in the same field. In the past, each of them made a separate statement. This also shows that the Commission’s unusually cautious attitude towards the case.
EU does not take temporary anti-dumping measures against fasteners in China
According to the latest news from the EU headquarters in Brussels, at the meeting of the EU anti-dumping committee representatives on July 24, delegates agreed to take no provisional anti-dumping measures against fastener products imported from China and stated that they will be raised against me. After further investigation of the objection, determine whether to take final anti-dumping measures.