Commercial Information Circulars

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Ref : EIC 230/2/3/2/13

13 August 2015

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 778/2015

European Union (EU) * : Initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of sodium cyclamate originating in the Mainland of China, limited to two Chinese exporting producers

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 264/2012 of 5 April 2012, the European Commission (the Commission) has announced the initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of sodium cyclamate originating in the Mainland of China, limited to two Chinese exporting producers, Fang Da Food Additive (Shen Zhen) Limited and Fang Da Food Additive (Yang Quan) Limited ('the Fang Da group'). The notice can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:JOC_2015_264_R_0004&from=EN

DETAILS

2.Subsequent to the termination of the anti-dumping proceeding of 5 April 2012, the Commission has now initiated another proceeding against the Fang Da group on the basis of a complaint of dumping lodged on 30 June 2015 by Productos Aditivos S.A. (the complainant), the sole producer of sodium cyclamate in the Union, thus representing 100% of the total Union production. The complainant is said to have provided evidence that imports of the concerned product from the Mainland of China had increased overall in absolute terms and in terms of market share, resulting in substantial adverse effects on the overall performance and the financial situation of the Union industry, among other consequences.

3.Salient points are set out below-

(a) Date of Publication of the Notice	:	12 August 2015
(b) Product Coverage	:	Sodium cyclamate originating in the Mainland of China, as well as aspartame originating in the Mainland of China, currently falling within CN code ex 2929 9000 (TARIC code 2929 90 00 10).The CN and TARIC codes are given for information only.
(c) Procedures	:	In order to obtain information it deems necessary for its investigation with regard to exporting producers, the Commission will send questionnaires to the two exporting producers concerned and to the authorities of the Mainland of China. All interested parties may make their views known, submit information and provide supporting evidence within 37 days from 12 August 2015, unless otherwise specified. All interested parties may request to be heard by the Commission investigation services. Any request to be heard should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. For hearings on issues pertaining to the initial stage of the investigation, request must be submitted within 15 days from 12 August 2015. Thereafter, a request to be heard must be submitted within the specific deadlines set by the Commission in its communication with the parties. Interested parties are invited to make all submissions and requests by e-mail including scanned powers of attorney and certification sheets. By using e-mail, interested parties express their agreement with the rules applicable to electronic submissions contained in the document 'CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN TRADE DEFENCE CASES' published on the website of the Directorate - General for Trade (DG Trade): http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/june/tradoc_148003.pdf. For further rules and information concerning correspondence with the Commission including principles that apply to submissions by e-mail, interested parties should consult the communication instructions with interested parties referred to in the notice. Commission address for correspondence: European Commission Directorate-General for Trade Directorate H Office: CHAR 04/039 1040 Brussels Belgium E-mail: TRADE-SOCYBIS-DUMPING@ec.europa.eu TRADE-SOCYBIS-INJURY@ec.europa.eu Interested parties may request the intervention of the Hearing Officer in trade proceedings, who acts as an interface between the interested parties and the Commission investigation services through reviewing requests for access to the file, disputes regarding the confidentiality of documents, requests for extension of time limits and requests by third parties to be heard. The Hearing Officer may organise a hearing with an individual interested party and mediate to ensure that the interested parties' rights of defence are being fully exercised. A request for a hearing with the Hearing Officer should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. For hearings on issues pertaining to the initial stage of the investigation the request must be submitted within 15 days from 12 August 2015. For further information and contact details, interested parties may consult the Hearing Officer's web pages on DG Trade's website: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/trade-policy-and-you/contacts/hearing-officer/.
(d) Investigation Schedule	:	Provisional measures may be imposed no later than nine months from 12 August 2015. The investigation will be concluded within 15 months from 12 August 2015.

OTHER INFORMATION

4.The Commission has imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of sodium cyclamate originating in, inter alia, the Mainland of China and the duty in force is EUR 0.26 per kilogramme (except for a number of companies with individual duty rates ranging from EUR 0.00 to EUR 0.23 per kilogramme).

ENQUIRIES

5.For traders involved in the exports of the subject product from the Guangdong Province, please contact Yue Yang, Deputy Director of Trade Remedy Division, Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, at telephone number 8620 3881 9936. The Division is responsible for, among others, guiding and coordinating enterprises in Guangdong Province in responding to anti-dumping investigations against products from the province.

6.For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Jessica MAK)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU member countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Note 1:	While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.
Note 2:	The biweekly newsletter "Business Alert - EU" of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council provides up-to-date information on the latest developments in EU trade policy and trade regulations. The newsletter can be accessed through http://economists-pick-research.hktdc.com/business-news/subindex/en/Business-Alert-EU/1X2ZT68A/1/0.htm.