Announcement No. 33 of 2025 by the Ministry of Commerce: Announcement of the Ruling on the Expiry Review of Anti-dumping Measures Applicable to Imports of Stainless Steel Billets and Stainless Steel Hot-rolled Plates/Coils Originating from the EU, the UK,

On July 22, 2019, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued Announcement No. 31 of 2019, deciding to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils originating from the EU, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia starting from July 23, 2019, and to accept the price undertaking proposed by POSCO. The anti-dumping duty rates were 43.0% for EU companies, 18.1%–29.0% for Japanese companies, 23.1%–103.1% for South Korean companies, and 20.2% for Indonesian companies. The implementation period for the anti-dumping duties and price undertaking was five years.

On November 20, 2020, MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 55 of 2020, deciding to conduct an interim review of the dumping and dumping margins for imports of stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils produced by Guangqing Nickel Industry Co., Ltd. of Indonesia. On November 18, 2021, in response to an application from Guangqing Nickel Industry Co., Ltd. of Indonesia, MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 38 of 2021, terminating the interim review investigation.

 On January 29, 2021, MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 3 of 2021. According to this announcement, after the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020, the trade remedy measures previously implemented against the EU would continue to apply to both the EU and the UK, with the implementation period remaining unchanged; trade remedy investigations and review cases initiated against the EU after this date would no longer treat the UK as an EU member state.

 On November 9, 2023, MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 46 of 2023, deciding to reinvestigate the original anti-dumping case and implement the ruling and recommendations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body's panel report on the "China – Anti-Dumping Measures on Stainless Steel Products Originating from Japan" dispute case. On May 8, 2024, MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 19 of 2024, ruling to continue implementing anti-dumping measures in accordance with MOFCOM's Announcement No. 31 of 2019.

On July 22, 2024, in response to an application from China's stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil industry, MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 30 of 2024, initiating an expiry review investigation of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils originating from the EU, the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia.

 MOFCOM conducted an investigation into the likelihood of continued or renewed dumping of imports of stainless steel billets and hot-rolled stainless steel plates/coils originating from the EU, the UK, South Korea, and Indonesia, as well as the likelihood of continued or renewed injury to China's stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil industry, if the anti-dumping measures were terminated. Based on the investigation results and in accordance with Article 48 of the Anti-Dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "Anti-Dumping Regulations"), MOFCOM made a review ruling (see the attachment). The relevant matters are hereby announced as follows:

I. Review Ruling

The Ministry of Commerce ruled that if the anti-dumping measures were terminated, dumping of stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil originating from the EU, UK, South Korea, and Indonesia into China might continue or recur, and the injury to China's stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil industry might continue or recur.

 II. Anti-Dumping Measures

In accordance with Article 50 of the Anti-Dumping Regulations, the Ministry of Commerce proposed to the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council a recommendation to continue the anti-dumping measures based on the investigation results. The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council decided, in accordance with the Ministry of Commerce's recommendation, to continue imposing anti-dumping duties on imports of stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil originating from the EU, UK, South Korea, and Indonesia, effective from July 1, 2025, for a period of five years.

 The scope of products subject to anti-dumping duties remains the same as that of the original anti-dumping measures, consistent with the product scope specified in Announcement No. 31 of 2019 by the Ministry of Commerce. Details are as follows:

 Chinese Name: Stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil.

 English Name: Stainless Steel Billet and Hot-rolled Stainless Steel Plate (Coil).

 Product Description: Stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil refer to alloy steel, by weight, with a carbon content not exceeding 1.2% and a chromium content not less than 10.5%, regardless of whether other elements are present, excluding cold-rolled products. Stainless steel billet has a rectangular (excluding square) cross-section or is another stainless steel semi-manufactured product. Hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil is produced from stainless steel billet through processes such as hot rolling and is in coil or plate form, regardless of width and thickness.

Primary Uses: There are generally two applications. One is as a raw material for cold-rolled stainless steel, processed through cold rolling to produce cold-rolled stainless steel products. The other is sold directly as finished products, mainly used in industries such as shipbuilding, containers, railways, power generation, petroleum, and petrochemicals.

 The products fall under the following Harmonized System (HS) codes of the People's Republic of China: 72189100, 72189900, 72191100, 72191210, 72191290, 72191312, 72191319, 72191322, 72191329, 72191412, 72191419, 72191422, 72191429, 72192100, 72192200, 72192300, 72192410, 72192420, 72192430, 72201100, 72201200, 72223000. Products under HS code 72223000 other than stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil are not subject to the current anti-dumping duties.

The anti-dumping duty rates shall be consistent with the provisions announced in Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 31 of 2019.

The anti-dumping duty rates imposed on respective companies are as follows:

 EU companies:

 All EU companies                    43.0%

 UK companies:

 All UK companies                     43.0%

 Korean companies:

 1. POSCO                                    23.1%

 (POSCO)

 2. Other Korean companies                 103.1%

 Indonesian companies:

 All Indonesian companies                 20.2%

 The Ministry of Commerce has decided to continue implementing the price undertaking for investigated products imported from POSCO in accordance with Announcement No. 31 of 2019, unless suspended or terminated prematurely. The price undertaking shall remain valid until the termination of these anti-dumping measures. During the validity period of POSCO's price undertaking, anti-dumping duties shall not be imposed on the company's investigated products exported to China at prices not lower than the undertaking price. In case of breach of the price undertaking or other circumstances terminating the undertaking, anti-dumping duties shall be levied at the company's applicable anti-dumping duty rate.

 III. Methodology for Levying Anti-Dumping Duties

 From July 1, 2025, import operators shall pay corresponding anti-dumping duties to the Customs of the People's Republic of China when importing stainless steel billets and stainless steel hot-rolled plates/coils originating in the EU, UK, Korean companies not accepting price undertakings, and Indonesia. Anti-dumping duties shall be levied ad valorem based on the customs-determined duty-paying value of imported goods, calculated as: Anti-dumping duty amount = customs-determined duty-paying value of imported goods × anti-dumping duty rate. Import VAT shall be levied ad valorem using the customs-determined duty-paying value plus customs duties and anti-dumping duties as the taxable price.

 IV. Administrative Review and Litigation

 Pursuant to Article 53 of the Anti-Dumping Regulations, parties disagreeing with this review decision may file an administrative review or institute legal proceedings with the people's court in accordance with the law.

 V. This announcement shall come into effect on July 1, 2025

 Annex: Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China's Final Review Ruling on Anti-Dumping Measures Applicable to Imports of Stainless Steel Billets and Stainless Steel Hot-Rolled Plate/Coil Originating in the EU, UK, Republic of Korea, and Indonesia.

             Ministry of Commerce

                                                          June 30, 2025