The European Commission issued the Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of choline chloride originating in the People’s Republic of China in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on 31 October 2024.

This notice pertains to imports of choline chloride originating from China.

On 8 June 2016, the European Commission received a complaint under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Union. The complaint alleges that imports of choline chloride originating in China are being dumped, thereby causing injury to the European Union’s industry.

The investigation follows a complaint lodged on 17 September 2024 by Balchem Italia Srl and Taminco BV. The complaint was made by the Union industry of choline chloride in the sense of Article 5(4) of the basic Regulation.

The complaint highlights considerable distortions in the Chinese economy, particularly in sectors related to choline chloride production. These distortions reduce production costs, enabling Chinese exporters to sell choline chloride at below-average prices. This alleged dumping has reportedly led to a loss of market share and declining financial performance for the EU industry.

The complainants have provided evidence that imports of the product under investigation from the country concerned have increased overall in absolute terms and in terms of market share. The evidence provided by the complainants shows that the volume and the prices of the imported product under investigation have had, among other consequences, a negative impact on the quantities sold, the level of prices charged and the market share held by the Union industry, resulting in substantial adverse effects on the overall performance and the financial situation of the Union industry.

The allegation of dumping is based on a comparison of a constructed normal value on the basis of costs of production and sale reflecting undistorted prices or benchmarks, with the export price (at ex-works level) of the product under investigation when sold for export to the Union. The complainant indicates Mexico as an appropriate representative country for the purposes of constructing the normal value.

The investigation will determine whether the product under investigation originating in the country concerned is being dumped and whether the dumped imports have caused injury to the Union industry. If the conclusions are affirmative, the investigation will examine whether the imposition of measures would not be in the Union interest under Article 21 of the basic Regulation.

The investigation of dumping and injury will cover the period from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024. The examination of trends relevant for the assessment of injury will cover the period from 1 January 2021 to the end of the investigation period.

All interested parties wishing to comment on the complaint (including matters pertaining to injury and causality) or any aspects regarding the initiation of the investigation (including the degree of support for the complaint) must do so within 37 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

Any request for a hearing with regard to the initiation of the investigation must be submitted within 15 days of the date of publication of this Notice.