The ministry said that it had investigate the case of dichloromethane dumping from the above five countries and France. The results confirmed that dumping existed.

Meanwhile the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC) also found essential industrial losses in China's relevant sectors caused by the dumping.

Based on the findings of these investigations, the MOFTEC decided to adopt temporary anti-dumping measures against dichloromethane imported from the above six countries.

After the initial ruling, parties involved provided more information to the MOFTEC and SETC. The two ministries, after further investigations, made their final decision that dumping and the essential damage to China's dichloromethane producers existed and had a cause-and-effect relationship between the dumping and the ensuing industrial loss.

The State Council decided that anti-dumping duties would be levied from August 16, 2001, on dichloromethane no less than 99 percent pure from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and the ROK. The rate of anti-dumping duty equals the level of dumping.

It has been found that dichloromethane imported from France during the period when the investigations were carried out accounted for only 2.6 percent of China's total imports of such products, which under Chinese law can be ignored. China therefore stopped its investigation into French imports.

The MOFTEC also met with staff of the six countries' embassies in China, and presented them the final ruling on anti-dumping. Chinese businesses applying for investigation and relevant export companies have also been informed.

(People's Daily June 20, 2002)