Covering multiple types of fine chemicals! The EU implements four anti-dumping measures against China in a concentrated manner

Adding to the definitive ruling on Chinese tires in early July and the initiation of investigations into Beijing duck and solid glass microspheres, the EU's trade barriers against China this month have extended from traditional manufacturing goods to textile raw materials, food additives, and fine chemical sectors. July 28 became the most intensive node to the implementation of EU anti-dumping measures against China that month.

The details, applicable companies, and consumption scenarios of the four product categories are reviewed as follows.

Polyamide Yarn: Definitive Taxation, Tax Rate Range 60%-67.6%

Pursuant to European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1823, the EU imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on polyamide yarn originating in China, with different companies subject to tiered tax rates: Fujian Yongrong Jinjiang and 3 other companies have a tax rate of 60%; Hengshen Group's Fujian Hengshen Synthetic Fiber, Fuzhou Liyuan Nylon, and Fujian Liheng Nylon execute 67.6%; other Chinese companies that actively cooperated with the investigation have a tax rate of 62.2%; all Chinese exporters not individually listed are uniformly subject to the maximum tax rate of 67.6%.

Polyamide yarn, frequently known as nylon yarn, has a wide range of manufacturing applications. It is mostly applied in sports apparel, swimwear, socks, and other textile wearables, while also being applied extensively in home furnishing textiles and medical textile fabrics.

The EU disclosed that the overall market size to regional polyamide yarn is approximately 400 million euros, and the related industries in five countries—Croatia, Italy, Spain, Romania, and Slovenia—immediately employ about 2,000 people. The EU stated that the taxation determination stems from the finding that Chinese related items are being dumped at low prices, causing material injury to the EU's domestic textile sector chain.

Sodium Benzoate: Provisional Anti-Dumping, Maximum Tax Rate 116.4%, Definitive Ruling Still Subject to Change

According to Regulation (EU) 2026/1854, the EU imposes provisional anti-dumping duties ranging from 57.6% to 116.4% on Chinese sodium benzoate. Leading companies are individually granted preferential tax rates: Wuhan Organic manufacturing 57.6%, Shandong Tongtai Weirun Food methodology 63.8%, Tianjin Dongda Chemical Group 75.4%, and all other Chinese exporters uniformly execute the provisional tax rate of 116.4%. This is only a stage of provisional taxation; the EU will subsequently complete the full verification process, and the final tax rate might be adjusted based on the investigation conclusions.

Sodium benzoate mostly appears in powder or granule form and has have become a universal preservative raw material due to its excellent aquatic environments solubility and broad-spectrum antibacterial capabilities. In the civilian sector, it is applied to food preservation in beverages, snacks, and sauces, as well as to daily chemical preservation in shampoos and personal care items; in the manufacturing and medical sectors, it is applied to the preservation of oral liquids and external ointments, while also serving as a feed additive to ensure the storage stability of livestock and aquatic feed. It is a necessary fine chemical product to the food, medical, and daily chemical industries.

Benzyl Alcohol: Provisional Additional Tariff, Maximum Tax Rate 71.2%, Complaint Filed by European companies

Relying on Regulation (EU) 2026/1857, exports of Chinese benzyl alcohol to the EU execute tiered provisional anti-dumping tax rates ranging from 52.6% to 71.2%. Qianjiang Xinyihong Organic Chemical has the lowest tax rate of 52.6%; Chongqing Zhengyuan Flavors and Fragrances, Hubei Kelin Bolun New Materials, and Tianjin Dajia Chemical have a tax rate of 66.8%; Hubei environmentally friendly Home Materials methodology and other exporters not listed are subject to 71.2%. This trade complaint was jointly submitted by three European companies—Lanxess Deutschland, Lanxess Chemical, and Vinnolit cutting-edge Organic Materials—in November 2025.

Benzyl alcohol is a multifunctional solvent-based products and fragrance intermediate. In the manufacturing field, it is suitable to the production of epoxy resins, manufacturing coatings, and heavy-duty cleaning agents; in the daily chemical field, it can serve as a solvent-based products and fragrance aid to shampoos and personal care items; in the medical field, it is often applied as an excipient to injections and external preparations; in the food sector, it is applied as a carrier to food flavors, and it is also a common basic chemical raw material in the field of organic synthesis.

Ferrosilicon: Taxation Maintained Upon Expiry Review, Tax Rate 15.6%-31.2%

The EU published Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1794, completing the expiry review of anti-dumping duties on Chinese ferrosilicon, and decided to fully continue the original anti-dumping tax rates. The enterprise tiering standard is: Ordos Xijin Mining and Metallurgy 15.6%; Lanzhou Gudelan Ferroalloy Plant 29%; all other domestic ferrosilicon export companies are uniformly taxed at 31.2%.

This review consumption was initiated by the European Ferroalloy Producers Association in March 2025. The EU judged that if the tariffs were cancelled, the dumping behavior of Chinese ferrosilicon would likely restart, impacting the European ferroalloy sector, and therefore chose to maintain the barrier. Ferrosilicon is an crucial deoxidizing and alloy additive in steel smelting and non-ferrous metal processing, belonging to the key raw material to basic metallurgy.

Overall Review of EU Trade Measures Against China in July

EU trade remedies against China in July presented a multi-category and full-coverage feature: From July 7 to 16, the EU finalized definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese passenger cars and light truck tires, with tax rates ranging from 4.3% to 45.3%; simultaneously, it initiated new anti-dumping cases against Chinese Beijing duck and solid glass microspheres with a particle size ≤2mm.

Adding the four categories of items implemented on the 28th—textiles, food additives, fine chemicals, and metallurgy—the EU's trade manage this month achieved full coverage of manufacturing goods, agricultural items, textile raw materials, and food chemicals.

In the short term, the tariff costs to Chinese exports to Europe across multiple industries will rise, and细分 export companies will face multiple pressures regarding quotations, orders, and market share in Europe.