China Updates Anti-Dumping Rates for POM Imports
China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Thursday a decision on the inheritance of anti-dumping duty rates for imported polyoxymethylene (POM) copolymer from the United States, European Union, Taiwan region, and Japan, following a major corporate restructuring in the Japanese chemical industry. The decision, published as Announcement No. 36 of 2026, takes effect on August 21.
According to Xinhua News, the announcement addresses applications from Daicel Corporation and Daicel HPP Taiwan Co., Ltd. to inherit the anti-dumping duty rates and related rights and obligations previously applicable to Polyplastics Co., Ltd. and Polyplastics Taiwan Co., Ltd., respectively.
Background: The POM Anti-Dumping Investigation
The original anti-dumping measures were imposed on May 18, 2025, when MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 25 of 2025, determining that POM copolymer imports from the US, EU, Taiwan region, and Japan were being dumped and causing material injury to mainland China’s domestic POM industry. The five-year measures took effect on May 19, 2025, as reported by Xinhua.
POM copolymer is an engineering thermoplastic with high mechanical strength, fatigue resistance, and creep resistance. It can partially substitute for metals such as copper, zinc, tin, and lead, and is used in automotive parts, electronic appliances, industrial machinery, medical devices, pipes and fittings, and building materials.
The Daicel-Polyplastics Restructuring
The current decision stems from an internal restructuring within the Daicel Corporation group. Effective April 1, 2026, Polyplastics Co., Ltd.’s engineering plastics business was transferred to its parent company, Daicel Corporation, through an absorption-type split. Polyplastics retained its legal personality but no longer interacts with customers directly, according to TOPAS Advanced Polymers, a subsidiary of the group.
Under the restructuring, Polyplastics Taiwan Co., Ltd. was renamed Daicel HPP Taiwan Co., Ltd. to align with the parent company’s new branding.
Rate Inheritance Decisions
Following a review, MOFCOM determined that the companies’ production equipment, production capacity, supplier relationships, customer base, and sales channels had not undergone substantive changes before and after the business transfer and name changes. The ministry also notified the mainland China POM industry of the applications, and the industry raised no objections.
As Global Times reported, the ministry decided that Daicel Corporation would succeed to the 35.5 percent anti-dumping duty rate and other rights and obligations previously applicable to Polyplastics Co. under the anti-dumping measures on POM copolymer. Daicel HPP Taiwan Co. would succeed to the 3.8 percent rate previously applicable to Polyplastics Taiwan Co.
Additionally, MOFCOM established fallback provisions to prevent circumvention. POM exported to mainland China under the old name of Polyplastics Co., Ltd. will be subject to the 35.5 percent rate applicable to “other Japanese companies,” while POM exported under the old name of Polyplastics Taiwan Co., Ltd. will be subject to the 32.6 percent rate applicable to “other Taiwan region companies.”
Broader Trade Context
The decision is part of China’s broader trade remedy framework. The original POM investigation, initiated in May 2024, was one of several anti-dumping actions China has taken to protect domestic industries. The preliminary ruling in January 2025 imposed provisional deposit rates ranging from 3.8 percent to 74.9 percent depending on the company and country of origin, as detailed by Aibang Polymer.
This latest announcement follows a similar decision in June 2026, when MOFCOM issued Announcement No. 22 of 2026 regarding rate inheritance for POM imports from Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia, also related to the Daicel/Polyplastics restructuring, as Beijing Daily reported.
The significantly lower duty rate for the Taiwan subsidiary (3.8 percent) compared to the Japanese parent (35.5 percent) reflects the different findings in the original investigation regarding dumping margins for each entity.
What’s Next
The new inherited duty rates take effect from August 21, 2026. The five-year anti-dumping measures on POM imports from the US, EU, Taiwan region, and Japan remain in effect until May 2029, providing continued protection for China’s domestic POM producers. The decision also demonstrates that China’s trade remedy system tracks corporate changes and maintains enforcement continuity, preventing companies from evading anti-dumping duties through corporate restructuring.
Industry observers will be watching how the Daicel-Polyplastics integration affects POM supply dynamics in the Asian market, particularly given the company’s position as one of the largest global producers of engineering plastics.