China Places Tariff on Imported Nylon 6

Beijing, China, Oct. 20, 2009--The Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a preliminary ruling Monday that imposed a 36 percent tariff on American-made Nylon 6, a synthetic filament that ends up in a wide array of products, including carpet.

Nylon 6 from Taiwan and Russia would also be taxed, but at much lower rates.

In making its announcement, the ministry said it would begin collecting the tariff immediately, though the money would be kept as a deposit and returned, should the decision be reversed.

The ruling was the latest in a series of punitive measures that started last month, when the administration of President Barack Obama imposed a 35 percent tariff on Chinese-made tires. Beijing quickly followed up with a threat to increase tariffs on American exports of chicken meat and car parts.

According to the Commerce Ministry’s Website, imports of Nylon 6 more than doubled from 2005 to 2007; in the first nine months of 2008, the Web report said, imports grew by nearly 21 percent, much of them from the United States. The ministry said the increased imports had harmed six Chinese enterprises.