China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Thursday urged the EU to reverse a decision to impose anti-dumping duties on a Chinese steel product, calling it a mistake and unfair, and vowing to take action to protect Chinese companies.
The European Commission (EC) announced Thursday that it has decided to impose anti-dumping duties of 18.1 percent to 35.9 percent on China-made hot-rolled coil.
The decision is the result of the "unfair, unreasonable" use of the "surrogate country" prices reference method, Wang Hejun, head of the MOFCOM's Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, said in a statement following the EC decision.
Wang noted that the EC had chosen the U.S. as a "surrogate country" to judge if the product was being sold in the EU at an unfair price.
"The Chinese side urges the EU to fully carry out its treaty obligations under the WTO, stop using the 'surrogate country' method, and treat Chinese companies fairly, justly and without discrimination," Wang said in the statement.
Wang further pointed out that the EC's judgment was based merely on accusations and speculation that imports of China's hot-rolled coil products pose a threat to European industries, but there is no evidence for these claims.
"China urges the European side to correct this mistake as soon as possible," he said. The decision has "seriously" hurt Chinese companies' interests, and China will take "necessary measures" to protect their legitimate interests, Wang noted.
