EU Ends Anti-Dumping Investigation

The European Union is ending its antidumping investigation of DVD+R/-R discs imported from Taiwan, China and Hong Kong.

The EU announced, on May 4 of this year, that it would not impose temporary antidumping tariffs on the previously mentioned DVD+R/-R discs and took a further step to end the corresponding investigation, Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) indicated.

This means Taiwan makers of DVD+R/-R discs can export their products to the 25 countries of EU without the risk of being charged with dumping, BOFT said. EU imports of Taiwan-made optical discs had a total worth of US$810.74 million in 2005, accounting for 23.59% of Taiwan's total export value for such products, according to BOFT.

However, BOFT is warning Taiwan CD-R disc makers of the possibility of being subject to antidumping tariffs in the Argentine market. Based on an understanding by BOFT's representative office in Buenos Aires, Argentine producers of optical discs asked for a temporary antidumping tariff of as high as US$0.17 per imported CD-R disc.

The Argentine government has decided not to impose such a tariff during the investigation process, which is expected to end by the end of September of this year.

The Argentine government will hold a public hearing in Buenos Aires on August 8 and after the investigation will require certificates for the production locations of all imported CD-R discs, BOFT noted.

There is a 50% possibility that Argentina will impose an antidumping tax rate on CD-R discs imported from Taiwan, BOFT estimates. Taiwan is the largest source of CD-R discs exported to Argentina, with a market share of over 50%, BOFT noted.

Story source: digitimes.com.