Brussels imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese water-treatment acids

The European Commission has imposed a definitive anti-dumping duty and will definitively collect the provisional duty on imports of certain alkyl phosphonic acids and their sodium salts (PBTC) originating in the People’s Republic of China. The decision is contained in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2088 of 18 September 2026, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L series, of 21 September 2026 (official reference: CELEX:L_20262088). The regulation enters into force on the day following its publication and is binding in its entirety in all Member States.

The case dates back to a complaint lodged on 7 August 2025 by LANXESS Deutschland GmbH, on the basis of which the Commission opened an anti-dumping investigation on 18 September 2025 (Notice of Initiation, OJ C/2025/5021). Imports were made subject to registration by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2385 of 27 November 2025, and provisional duties were imposed on 12 May 2026 by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1045. The investigation period ran from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, and the file is registered under case number AD740.

Duty rates by exporter

The definitive rates, expressed as a percentage of the net, free-at-Union-frontier price before duty, are:

• Jiyuan Qingyuan Water Treatment Co., Ltd.: 183,8 % (TARIC additional code 88CI).
• Nantong Uniphos Chemicals Co., Ltd.: 192,2 % (88CJ).
• Shandong Taihe Technologies Co., Ltd.: 156,7 % (88CK).
• Other cooperating companies listed in the Annex: 173,8 %.
• All other imports originating in China: 192,2 % (TARIC code 8999).

The Annex names two non-sampled cooperating exporters: Shandong Green Technologies Import and Export Co., Ltd. (88CL) and Hebei Longke Water Treatment Co., Ltd. (88CM). Individual rates apply only on presentation of a valid commercial invoice carrying the declaration set out in Article 1(3); otherwise the country-wide rate applies.

The product and the findings

The measure covers 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid and its sodium salt tetrasodium hydrogen 2-phosphonatobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylate, in solid form or aqueous solution, currently under CN code 2931 49 80 (TARIC 2931 49 80 60), CAS RN 37971-36-1 and 66669-53-2. The Commission confirmed its findings on dumping, injury, causation and Union interest, and maintained that the lesser-duty rule under Article 7(2a) of the basic Regulation did not apply because phosphorus trichloride, embedded in the main raw material, accounted for more than 17 % of production costs and was distorted. It also revised the normal value after correcting the financial data used for UNIPAR CARBOCLORO S.A. and removing BASEQUIMICA S.A., a trading company, from the benchmark; the resulting selling, general and administrative costs were 10,3 % and profit 17,6 % of the cost of goods sold.

Users, retroactivity and entry into force

The Commission rejected the arguments of the user Hypred, which had challenged the injury analysis and warned of supply dependence on a single supplier, noting that Lanxess capacity exceeded Union consumption of 11,3-15 kt by more than 5 kt and that Hypred represents only 1-3 % of the Union PBTC user industry. Retroactive collection was ruled out: comparing the investigation period with the months before registration showed volumes down 22 % and prices down 14 %, while the comparison up to the month of the provisional measures showed volumes up 1 % and prices down 23 %. Amounts secured under the provisional regulation are definitively collected, with any excess released.

The regulation closes a full trade-defence cycle on a niche but strategic input for water treatment, cooling systems and detergents. For European industrial users, the practical effect is a sharp, durable increase in the landed cost of Chinese PBTC and a stronger incentive to source from the Union producer that brought the complaint; for Chinese exporters, the rates are high enough to make the Union market effectively inaccessible for all but the most efficient suppliers, while the anti-circumvention clauses allow the Commission to widen the country-wide duty if trade patterns shift.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 21 September 2026, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2088 of 18 September 2026 (official reference: CELEX:L_20262088).