The UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) proposed on Wednesday that the government extend anti-dumping and countervailing measures on Chinese-made continuous glass fiber, initially imposed in 2017, for another five years to protect British manufacturers.

"In its initial findings, the UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has today (20 April 2022) proposed that existing measures on imports of Continuous Glass Fibre from China be maintained. The TRA's provisional findings, contained in the Statements of Essential Facts, would mean that this UK industry, predominantly based in Wigan, continues to be protected from injury caused by dumped and subsidised imports of products from China for another five years," the TRA said in a statement.

According to the statement, continuous glass fibers are used in transportation, construction, electronics, the production of wind turbine blades, and various consumer goods. The TRA stressed that China was the fifth supplier of continuous filament glass fiber products to the United Kingdom in 2020.

"Glass fibre is a vital component in UK advanced manufacturing, used in wind turbine blades and electric vehicles. The provisional findings we are announcing today would protect UK glass fibre producers from unfair international competition," TRA's Chief Executive said, as quoted in the statement.

At the same time, the TRA proposed that mats made of glass fiber be excluded from the extended measures, since they are not produced in the country.

Following the publication of the statement, the TRA announced a 30-day comment period, after which the agency will produce a final recommendation and send it to UK Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

The TRA was established after Brexit in June 2021. The agency reviews the need for any remedy measures in countering unfair competition from foreign countries and protecting domestic producers.

Source: UrduPoint