EU cracks down on Chinese goods bypassing tariffs via Belt and Road Initiative

Published on 15/04/2026 - 11:25 GMT+2

The European Commission connected Wednesday imposed anti-dumping duties connected solid fibre —a cardinal input for the EU’s renewable industry— produced by Chinese companies operating successful Egypt, Bahrain and Thailand.

The determination confirms the EU’s propulsion to curb Chinese imports entering the bloc via Belt and Road routes to sidestep tariffs connected products officially labelled “made successful China.”

Brussels seeks to shield its marketplace from a surge of low-cost imports from the Asian giant, targeting goods it considers heavy subsidized oregon sold successful the EU beneath accumulation outgo successful China.

The tariffs connected solid fibre from the 3 countries volition scope from 11% to 25.4% of the product’s value.

“The probe confirms the beingness of unfair practice, which is an important signal,” Ludovic Piraux, President of Glass Fibre Europe, said.

But helium added that the measures adopted "remain insufficient to afloat code the predatory strategies pursued done these investments successful 3rd countries.”

Job losses loom

China has invested $1 trillion done the Belt and Road inaugural - a large-scale infrastructure programme which replaced the erstwhile silk roadworthy inaugural and is aimed astatine strengthening connectivity, commercialized and connection crossed Eurasia, Latin America and Africa. The programme spans much than 150 countries, supporting infrastructure, transport, earthy materials extraction and the relocation of industries and state-owned enterprises abroad.

As aboriginal arsenic 2010, pursuing an manufacture complaint, the Commission imposed anti-dumping duties connected Chinese solid fibre imports. In the years that followed, Chinese producers established factories successful Bahrain and Egypt, from which exports to the EU resumed.

By 2024, solid fibre imports from those countries, on with Thailand, accounted for 24% of the EU market. Egyptian imports unsocial reached 18%, with Glass Fibre Europe informing the concern could worsen.

This is not the archetypal clip the Commission has targeted Chinese products made successful 3rd countries nether Belt and Road arrangements. It has antecedently imposed measures connected aluminium foil from Thailand and solid fibre produced successful Türkiye.

European solid fibre manufacturers person been pushing for enactment for much than a decade, alongside unions seeking to support jobs successful the sector.

The ailment which pb to Wednesday’s anti-dumping duties was archetypal reported by Euronews successful January 2025.

The manufacture straight employs much than 4,500 workers successful the EU and says it supports hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs on the worth chain.

Judith Kirton-Darling, General caput of industriAll Europe, warned that “in the longer term”, the concern could worsen if the EU does not instrumentality “a stronger” stance connected Chinese dumping.

“It is much than apt that we volition look works closures successful Europe which volition fundamentally undermine our industry,” she said.