China hits U.S., EU, Japan, Taiwan with Big Tariffs on Plastic Imports

China has announced high anti-dumping duties on a special type of plastic called POM copolymers, which are widely used in making car parts, electronics, and medical equipment. The new tariffs will affect imports from the United States, European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Sunday that the tariffs are as high as 74.9% and are meant to protect Chinese businesses from unfairly cheap imports. These duties are the final result of an investigation that began in May 2024, just after the U.S. raised tariffs on Chinese products like electric cars an

China has announced high anti-dumping duties on a special type of plastic called POM copolymers, which are widely used in making car parts, electronics, and medical equipment. The new tariffs will affect imports from the United States, European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Sunday that the tariffs are as high as 74.9% and are meant to protect Chinese businesses from unfairly cheap imports. These duties are the final result of an investigation that began in May 2024, just after the U.S. raised tariffs on Chinese products like electric cars and computer chips. According to CNBC, “POM copolymers can partially replace metals such as copper and zinc and have various applications including in auto parts, electronics and medical equipment.” In January, China had already started collecting temporary deposits on these imports, saying there was early proof that dumping or selling products below market value was happening. Now, the final decision has been made: According to Sunday’s announcement, the highest anti-dumping rates of 74.9% were levied on imports from the United States, while European shipments will face 34.5% duties. China slapped 35.5% duties on Japanese imports, except for Asahi Kasei Corp, which received a company-specific rate of 24.5%. General duties of 32.6% were placed on imports from Taiwan, while Formosa Plastics received a 4% tariff and Polyplastics Taiwan 3.8%. Experts say this move shows how trade tensions between China and the U.S. are still ongoing. However, there have also been some signs of improvement. Both countries agreed to a 90-day truce to lower some tariffs. The Chinese state media Global Times said this deal “should be extended,” showing hope for better cooperation. At the same time, leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, who met recently in South Korea, warned that the world trading system is facing “fundamental challenges.”