UK government investigating alleged dumping of subsidised Chinese excavators

Construction equipment manufacturer JCB has said that it “welcomed” news that UK Government investigations are under way into alleged dumping of subsidised Chinese excavators on the UK market.

It has been alleged that some Chinese manufacturers have targeted the UK market with cut-price excavators.

Following complaints, the UK Trade Remedies Authority (the TRA) has launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports from China of tracked excavators of at least 11 tonnes into the UK.

“We welcome these investigations by the Trade Remedies Authority. There is clear evidence of unfair competitive practices in relation to aggressive, and subsidised, pricing of tracked excavators imported from China,” said JCB CEO, Graeme Macdonald.

“We want to see a swift and clear resolution to this urgent matter so that a competitive level playing field is restored for all UK-based manufacturers who invest heavily in the development of world leading products.”

The investigations by the UK TRA were launched with the publication of notices of initiation of the anti-dumping (case AD0047) and anti-subsidy (case AS0046) investigations.

Earlier this week it was announced that the European Commission has begun an investigation into imported MEWPs (Mobile Elevated Work Platforms) from China, following official complaints from suppliers based in Europe, which claimed that low cost or ‘dumped’ imports are harming the industry in the continent.

The complaint was first lodged in September by the ‘Coalition to restore a level playing field in the EU Mobile Access Equipment Sector’ and could potentially lead to tariffs being imposed on imported goods, as has been the case in the US. The identity of the coalition companies and/or individuals has not been made public.