EU imposes provisional duties on China ceramic imports

THE European Commission imposed provisional duties on ceramic tableware and kitchenware imported from China yesterday despite opposition from most EU member states.

Fourteen of the European Union's 27 members voted against the planned measures at a meeting of trade specialists in October, a highly unusual move that left the commission having to rethink its plans.

The commission can impose provisional duties while a probe continues. Under EU rules, it only consults member states, but is not bound by their vote.

However, it does need to follow the majority opinion of member states for definitive duties, which would need to be set for these products by May 15. These would normally be set for five years.

The EU's executive body went ahead with provisional duties ranging from 17.6 to 58.8 percent on Chinese manufacturers, according to the official journal of the EU.

Ceramic tableware and kitchenware imports from China totalled 728 million euros (US$926.6 million) in 2011, according to the commission, making it among the larger cases under consideration.

The commission is investigating 44 dumping and subsidy cases, 21 of them involving China. The EU is China's biggest trading partner while for the EU, China is second only to the US.

The commission launched its largest case to date in September into the alleged dumping of 21 billion euros of solar panels and components by Chinese producers. It added an inquiry into alleged subsidies last week.

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