Taiwan extends anti-dumping tariffs on toweling products from China

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) The Ministry of Finance has decided to continue anti-dumping tariffs imposed on toweling products from China as Chinese exporters kept selling their goods at unfairly low prices in Taiwan hurting the local industry.

In a statement released over the weekend, the MOF's Customs Administration said it has decided to extend anti-dumping tariffs of 29.72 percent on toweling products, such as bath towels, pillow covers, napkins, table cloths, foot pads and semi-finished products, sold by all Chinese exporters for an additional five years.

The extension of the punitive tariffs, which were effective from Dec. 21, 2017 to Dec. 20, 2022, started on Dec. 29 and will run through Dec. 28, 2028, the agency said.

The decision to extend the punitive tariffs came after the MOF completed a third sunset investigation into the unfair trading practices of toweling products from China, the ministry said.

The MOF and the Ministry of Economic Affairs both agreed that material adverse impact resulting from Chinese towel exporters' unfair practices on Taiwan's towel industry has not ended.

The ministry added that no evidence showed the continued anti-dumping tariffs will cause negative effects to Taiwan's economic interest.

The MOF imposed anti-dumping tariffs on China-made toweling products for the first time in June 1, 2006, with the tariff set at 204.1 percent for five years.

In 2011, the MOF launched its first sunset investigation and decided tariffs of 204.1 percent would continue for another five years until Dec. 19, 2016.

In 2016, a second sunset probe was launched and decided to extend the punishment for another five years but the tariff was reduced to 29.72 percent until Dec. 20. 2022.

In 2022, the MOF began its third sunset investigation and announced the tariff of 29.72 percent would continue.

According to MOF statistics, over the past 10 years up to the end of November, Taiwan has collected more than NT$103 million (US$3.36 million) in anti-dumping taxes from Chinese towel exporters.

However, the anti-dumping tariff failed to reduce imports of toweling products from China over the past five years. MOF data showed that in the first 11 months of this year, toweling product imports from China topped NT$21 million, up from about NT$6 million in 2019.