Antidumping Duty Imposed on Towels Imported from Mainland China

On May 29, 2006, the Ministry of Finance announced that beginning June 1, 2006, the Taiwanese government will impose a temporary antidumping duty on towels imported from China for a period of 4 months at a rate of from 107.3% to 237.7%, in addition to the normal import tariff of 10.5%. It is the first time that Taiwanese government imposes a temporary antidumping duty on Chinese products after Taiwan's accession to the WTO. After months of investigation, the International Trade Commission rendered a preliminary determination that the towels imported from China have caused material injury to the domestic towel industry and the preliminary investigation of the Ministry of Finance found that the Chinese companies under investigation have indeed sold their towels to Taiwan at a price less than the normal value of the goods. The Ministry of Finance is required to complete its investigation within 60 days after the preliminary determination and make a final determination by July 28, 2006.