11-May-2011

China has extended its existing anti-dumping duties on a synthetic rubber "neoprene" for the next five years i.e. till 2016. Neoprene is imported from Japan, the European Union and the United States.

The import duties on the Chloroprene rubber, commonly known as Neoprene, were originally imposed in 2005 for protecting domestic producers of this flexible synthetic material. In May 2005 the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) imposed anti-dumping duties ranging from 2 % to 151 % on imported chloroprene rubber from Japan, the U.S. and the EU till 2010.

The extension was made after a 12-month investigation by the MOC because the domestic producers asked the ministry to review and extend the duties before the original measures were set to expire in May 2010. The MOC found that if the anti-dumping measures are lifted then there will be dumping by Japan, the U.S. and the EU which would damage China's chloroprene rubber industry.
Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers which are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. In general, neoprene has good chemical stability and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range. It is used in a wide variety of applications such as laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces (wrist, knee, etc.), electrical insulation, liquid and sheet applied elastomeric membranes or flashings, and car fan belts. A foamed neoprene containing gas cells is used as an insulation material mostly in wetsuits as well as in other insulation and shock-protection (packing) applications.

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