News from CCTV: According to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Commerce) received an anti-dumping investigation application formally submitted by Jiangsu Huaihe Chemical Co., Ltd. and Hubei Dongfang Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the applicant) on behalf of China's para-nitrotoluene industry on September 14, 2026. The applicant requested an anti-dumping investigation into imported para-nitrotoluene originating in the EU.In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Commerce reviewed the applicant's qualifications, the relevant situation of the products applied for investigation, the relevant situations of similar products in China, the impact of the products applied for investigation on the domestic industry, and the relevant situations of the country (region) applied for investigation.

Based on the evidence provided by the applicant and the preliminary review by the Ministry of Commerce, the applicant’s total production of nitrotoluene complies with the provisions of Article 11 and Article 13 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People’s Republic of China regarding applications for anti-dumping investigations by domestic industries.At the same time, the application contains the content and relevant evidence required for filing an anti-dumping investigation as stipulated in Articles 14 and 15 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China.

Based on the above review results and in accordance with Article 16 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Commerce decided to initiate an anti-dumping investigation into imported para-nitrotoluene originating in the EU starting from October 3, 2026.The relevant matters are now announced as follows:

1. Case investigation and investigation period

Since the date of this announcement, the Ministry of Commerce has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imported para-nitrotoluene originating in the EU. The dumping investigation period determined in this investigation is from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, and the industrial damage investigation period is from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026.

2. Products under investigation and scope of investigation

Scope of investigation: Imported p-nitrotoluene originating in the EU.

Name of the product under investigation: p-nitrotoluene, also known as: 4-nitrotoluene.

English name: p-Nitrotoluene, or Para Nitrotoluene (referred to as PNT or p-NT), also known as: 4-Nitrotoluene (referred to as 4-NT)

Chemical formula: C7H7NO2

Physical and chemical properties: p-nitrotoluene usually appears as a light yellow to light brown solid at room temperature (25°C) and is insoluble in water.

Main uses: p-nitrotoluene is mainly used in the production of p-toluidine, DSD acid, p-nitrobenzoic acid, toluene diisocyanate, toluidine and other products, and is widely used in dyes, pigments, pesticides, medicine and other fields.

This product falls under the "Import and Export Tariffs of the People's Republic of China": 29042020.Other products under this tariff number are not within the scope of this investigation.

3. Register to participate in the survey

Interested parties should register with the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce to participate in this anti-dumping investigation within 20 days from the date of this announcement.Interested parties participating in the investigation should provide basic identity information, the quantity and amount of the products under investigation exported or imported to China, the quantity and amount of similar products produced and sold, and related information according to the "Reference Format for Registration to Participate in the Investigation".The "Reference Format for Registration to Participate in Investigations" can be downloaded from the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau sub-website of the Ministry of Commerce website.

Interested parties registering to participate in this anti-dumping investigation should submit an electronic version through the "Trade Remedy Investigation Information Platform" (https://etrb.mofcom.gov.cn), and submit a written version at the same time according to the requirements of the Ministry of Commerce.The content of the electronic version and the written version should be the same, and the format should be consistent.

The interested parties mentioned in this announcement refer to the individuals and organizations specified in Article 19 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China.

4. Check public information

Interested parties can download, read, transcribe and copy the non-confidential text of the application submitted by the applicant in this case from the sub-website of the Trade Remedy Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce website or go to the Trade Remedy Public Information Review Room of the Ministry of Commerce (Tel: 0086-10-65197878).During the investigation process, interested parties can check the case public information through the Trade Remedy Investigation Bureau sub-website of the Ministry of Commerce website, or go to the Trade Remedy Public Information Review Room of the Ministry of Commerce to search, read, transcribe and copy the case public information.

5. Comments on the filing of the case

If interested parties need to comment on the product scope and applicant qualifications of this investigation, the countries (regions) under investigation, and other related issues, they can submit written opinions to the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce within 20 days from the date of this announcement.

6. Investigation methods

According to the provisions of Article 20 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Commerce may use questionnaires, sampling, hearings, on-site inspections and other methods to learn about the situation from relevant stakeholders and conduct investigations.

In order to obtain the information needed for the investigation of this case, the Ministry of Commerce usually issues a questionnaire to interested parties within 10 working days from the deadline for registration to participate in the investigation stipulated in this announcement.Interested parties can download the questionnaire from the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau sub-website of the Ministry of Commerce website.

The "Questionnaire for Foreign Exporters or Manufacturers in the Anti-dumping Case of Para-nitrotoluene" inquires information including the company's structure and operations, products under investigation, export sales to China, regional sales, operations and financial information, production costs and related expenses, estimated dumping margins and checklists, etc.The information asked in the "Domestic Producers Questionnaire for the Anti-dumping Case of Para-nitrotoluene" includes the company's basic information, domestic similar products, operating and related information, financial and related information, and other issues that need explanation.The information asked in the "Domestic Importer Questionnaire for the Anti-dumping Case of Para-nitrotoluene" includes basic information about the company, trade of the products under investigation and related information.

Stakeholders should submit complete and accurate answers within the specified time.The answer sheet should include all information required by the questionnaire.

7. Submission and processing of information

When interested parties submit comments, answer sheets, etc. during the investigation process, they should submit electronic versions through the "Trade Remedy Investigation Information Platform" (https://etrb.mofcom.gov.cn) and, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Commerce, submit written versions at the same time.The content of the electronic version and the written version should be the same, and the format should be consistent.

If the information submitted by interested parties to the Ministry of Commerce needs to be kept confidential, they may request the Ministry of Commerce to keep the relevant information confidential and explain the reasons.If the Ministry of Commerce agrees to its request, the interested party applying for confidentiality shall also provide a non-confidential summary of the confidential information.The non-confidential summary should contain sufficient meaningful information to enable other interested parties to reasonably understand the confidential information.If a non-confidential summary cannot be provided, the reasons should be stated.If the information submitted by the interested party does not indicate the need to keep it confidential, the Ministry of Commerce will treat the information as public information.

8. Consequences of non-cooperation

According to Article 21 of the Anti-dumping Regulations of the People's Republic of China, when the Ministry of Commerce conducts an investigation, interested parties should truthfully report the situation and provide relevant information.If an interested party fails to truthfully report the situation or provide relevant information, or fails to provide necessary information within a reasonable time, or otherwise seriously hinders the investigation, the Ministry of Commerce may make a ruling based on the facts that have been obtained and the best information available.

9. Investigation period

This investigation will begin on October 3, 2026, and should usually be completed before October 3, 2027. It can be extended for 6 months under special circumstances.