China Opens Two Anti-Dumping Investigations Into Industrial Imports From Europe and Japan
Key Facts
China’s Ministry of Commerce opened two anti-dumping investigations into imports of industrial products, according to notices issued on November 6. The first investigation targets aramid fiber imported from the European Union, while the second covers ethylidene norbornene from the European Union and Japan. The latter material is used mainly to produce EPDM rubber, the ministry said. The investigations follow applications from domestic industry, according to the ministry. The measures place specialized products and industrial supply chains at the center of a trade case involving European and Japanese suppliers.
The ministry said preliminary evidence submitted in the application concerning aramid fiber showed that European imports remained at high levels from 2023 through the first half of 2026. It added that prices for these imports fell by a cumulative more than 50% through the first half of 2026. In the ethylidene norbornene case, the ministry said imports from the European Union and other regions increased by a cumulative 27.35% between 2023 and 2025. Those imports then rose 56% year on year in the first half of 2026, while prices generally trended lower. The figures present the applicants’ arguments as relayed by the ministry, as part of an investigation that has yet to be resolved.
Aramid fiber is used in a range of industrial applications, including reinforcing fiber-optic cables and making bullet-resistant fabrics. Other uses cited by the ministry include materials for car tires and hoses. Ethylidene norbornene, meanwhile, is used mainly as a component in the production of EPDM rubber. The different products mean the two investigations concern distinct industrial inputs, despite both being conducted under anti-dumping measures. The ministry set the scope of the second investigation to include imports from the European Union and Japan, while the first concerns aramid fiber from the European Union.
The Ministry of Commerce set the dumping investigation period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. The period for examining industrial injury runs from January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026. The injury review therefore covers a longer period than the one used to examine dumping, according to the published timetable. These periods allow the ministry to assess changes in imports and prices and the alleged injury to domestic industry over a defined timeframe. The investigations are generally due to conclude before November 6, 2027, with a possible six-month extension in special circumstances.
The investigations come as official Chinese data showed manufacturing activity contracted in October. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index was 49.3%, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The production reading was 49.8%, while new orders registered 49.4%, both below the 50% level. The bureau described the change in industrial activity as a slight slowdown. These readings provide context for factory performance over the same period, without the official data linking them to the investigations.
The Ministry of Commerce said the European Union had launched 16 trade-remedy investigations involving China since the start of 2026, including 9 investigations concerning chemical products. It added that the number of EU investigations involving China had nearly doubled year on year. The ministry said the European Union had launched successive investigations into Chinese products since mid-October, including furfuryl alcohol and polyvinylidene fluoride. These figures and characterizations present the ministry’s view of the trade measures between the two sides and do not constitute an independent finding on the dumping allegations in the two Chinese investigations. In a broader context, the Associated Press said the European Union had described its trade deficit with China as unsustainable, noting that it reached $1.1 billion a day in 2025.
The ministry said it received the application for an investigation into ethylidene norbornene on October 9, 2026, from Henghe Materials, on behalf of China’s ethylidene norbornene industry. It invited interested parties to register to participate in the investigation within 20 days of the notice’s publication. Parties may also submit written comments on the product scope, the applicant’s standing and the countries covered within the same period. The procedure allows interested parties to present their positions on the case’s scope before the ministry completes its work. The ministry generally sets the investigation deadline before November 6, 2027, with a possible six-month extension in special circumstances.