The new deadline for finalization of the probe is October 10 2020.
Commenting, methionine producer, Evonik, said it continues to fully support the investigation by the Chinese authorities and that it has provided the competent bodies with all the necessary information and data. “The company will cooperate fully in the ongoing investigation, while remaining confident with respect to its outcome.”
MOFCOM first announced the probe into the alleged dumping of the amino acid back in April 2019, saying the period under review was 2018.
However, the Chinese officials said back then that were also going to determine if its domestic industry also suffered losses in 2016 to 2018 due to reported dumping of methionine originating in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
The investigation was supposedly triggered by a complaint from Ningxia Unisplendour Tianhua Methionine Co Ltd., a leading manufacturer of solid DL-Methionine in China.
Dumping definition
Dumping, in economics, is a kind of injuring pricing, especially in the context of international trade, according to the WTO. It occurs when manufacturers export a product to another country at a price below the normal price with an injuring effect. The objective of dumping is to increase market share in a foreign market by driving out competition and thereby create a monopoly situation where the exporter will be able to unilaterally dictate price and quality of the product.
Evonik produces the essential amino acid DL-methionine, marketed under the brand name MetAMINO, at four locations - in Antwerp in Belgium, in Alabama in the US, in Singapore and in Wesseling in Germany. The largest plant is located in Antwerp.
The company said, relying on this production network, it supplies customers in more than 120 countries, which ensures a “structurally reliable supply of methionine on a global basis - regardless of geographic location.”