Industry association opposes EU duty on Chinese fasteners

BEIJING - The European Union's decision to extend an anti-dumping duty on imports of steel fasteners from China was "strongly opposed" by a Chinese industry association on Wednesday.

China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, a non-government organization, urged the EU to respect the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and rectify its practices.

The statement was in response to an EU decision, announced on March 27, to reimpose the duty of as many as 74.1 percent of imports from China for certain steel fasteners, used for a wide range of products from automotive parts to furniture, following an expiry review.

"There is a likelihood of recurrence of dumping to the Union market, should the measures be allowed to lapse," the European Commission said in an official statement. The five-year renewal will take effect on March 28.

The EU imposed the anti-dumping duty for five years in January 2009, prompting the Chinese government to file a complaint against the bloc at the WTO, which ruled against aspects of the EU measures in 2011.

As a response, the EU reduced the levies to an average of 54.1 percent from 77.5 percent in 2012.