The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Saturday that its anti-dumping investigation into imports of p-nitrotoluene originating from the European Union was launched in response to an application by the domestic industry and based on preliminary evidence of dumping and resulting damage to Chinese producers.

The application met the conditions for initiating an anti-dumping investigation under Chinese law and WTO rules, and China will conduct the investigation in accordance with laws and regulations and make an objective and impartial ruling, the ministry said in a statement responding to a media query.

MOFCOM announced on Saturday that it had launched the anti-dumping investigation into p-nitrotoluene imports from the EU from October 3. The investigation followed an application submitted on September 14 by Jiangsu Huaihe Chemicals Co and Hubei Dongfang Chemical Industry Co on behalf of China’s p-nitrotoluene industry.

In the public version of their petition, the Chinese producers alleged that EU exporters had adopted a low-price dumping strategy to maintain or expand their share of the Chinese market. Preliminary evidence submitted by the applicants showed that the dumping margin on EU-origin p-nitrotoluene exports to China exceeded 100 percent.

Preliminary evidence provided by the applicants showed that imports of p-nitrotoluene from the EU remained at high levels between 2022 and 2025, while prices fell by nearly 60 percent cumulatively over the period, a spokesperson from MOFCOM, citing industry data noted. “The dumped imports from the EU had caused damage to the production and operations of China’s domestic industry,” read the MOFCOM statement.

The probe, launched on October 3, will examine alleged dumping from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. It is expected to conclude by October 3, 2027, with a possible six-month extension in special circumstances, according to a MOFCOM announcement.

P-nitrotoluene, also known as 4-nitrotoluene, is an organic chemical widely used in industries including dyes, pigments, pesticides and pharmaceuticals, according to MOFCOM.

Under Chinese law and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, the application met the conditions for initiating an anti-dumping investigation, and China will conduct the investigation in accordance with laws and regulations, fully safeguard the rights of all interested parties and make an objective and impartial ruling, the spokesperson said.

“A timely anti-dumping investigation and corresponding measures would help restore what they described as distorted market competition, safeguard the legitimate interests of China’s p-nitrotoluene producers and support the stability and security of the broader industrial and supply chains,” read the industry petition. Such measures would support the stable and orderly development of downstream industries, it added.

The MOFCOM spokesperson stressed that China has consistently maintained a prudent and restrained approach in the area of trade remedies. 

At the same time, the EU has launched 28 trade-remedy investigations against China since 2025, around 50 percent of which involved chemical products, the spokesperson said. In particular, the EU has recently launched three investigations into Chinese chemical products in succession, including polyvinyl chloride.

“China has repeatedly stated that the EU needs to squarely address the economic and trade issues it faces and resolve concerns between the two sides through dialogue and consultation,” the spokesperson noted.


Global Times