South Korea kicks off polysilicon duty talks with China

At the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee meeting, the South Korean government urged China to lift import measures against its polyoxymethylene, optical fiber, polysilicon and grain-oriented electrical steel. China imposed duties on polysilicon from South Korea and the United States in July 2013.

January 25, 2019 Emiliano Bellini

A reduction in duties applied by China to imported polysilicon could have reverberations around the world.

Image: Dave Tacon/Polaris

From pv magazine International.

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has asked the Chinese government to cancel anti-dumping duties on Korean polysilicon imports introduced in July 2013.

The request was made at the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement Joint Committee, held in Beijing in mid-January. “The Korean delegation raised issues regarding China’s latest import regulatory measures against Korean-made polyoxymethylene, optical fiber, polysilicon and grain-oriented electrical steel as well as non-tariff barriers against high-definition multimedia interface monitors, seasoned seaweed, modified milk powder and medical devices,” said MOTIE in a press release.

Korean portal KBS revealed an official letter about the removal of duties was to be sent to high-level Chinese leaders, and MOTIE will also discuss the matter at an upcoming meeting of the World Trade Organization’s committee on anti-dumping practices scheduled for April, as well as at the Seoul International Forum on Trade Remedies in May.

In November 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced an adjustment of polysilicon duties for Korean imports. The duties for Korean producers were adjusted as follows: OCI Company Ltd. 4.4%; South Korea’s Silicon Industry Co, Ltd. (Hankook SiliconCo. Ltd.) 9.5%; Hanwha Chemical Corporation 8.9%; SMP Ltd. 88.7%; Woongjin Polysilicon Co Ltd. 113.8%; KCC Corp. and Korean Advanced Materials (KAM Corp) 113.8%; Innovation Silicon Co, Ltd. 113.8%; and other Korean companies 88.7%.

When it introduced the duties in 2013, MOFCOM set import duties ranging from 2.4% to 48.7% for Korean producers, while U.S. manufacturers were handed duties ranging from 53.3-57%, depending on the dumping margin. European manufacturers, and especially German companies, were spared the measures, as Beijing and Berlin reached an agreement on the matter in July 2013.

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