Following the final decision on August 4 of the European Commission (EC) in its antidumping investigation regarding cold rolled steel plate imports from China imposing an antidumping (AD) duty of 19.7-22.1 percent as well as making the duties retroactive, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has stated that the EU has made two trade protection decisions against China in recent days, while its retroactive measure against China’s steel imports has been the first such measure against Chinese importers in recent years, significantly increasing legal uncertainty and seriously impacting the normal international trade environment.
The MOC pointed out that G20 members reached a consensus at the 2016 G20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Shanghai to firmly oppose trade protectionism, while the EU’s practice of trade protectionism is completely in opposition to the G20 wishes to push forward trade liberalization. The MOC urged that the EU should adhere closely to the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and avoid implementing unreasonable measures, while it expressed the hope that the two sides would strengthen dialogue and communication and resolve trade frictions.