South Korean government urged China to lift import measures against its polyisilicon. China imposed duties on polysilicon from South Korea and the United States in July 2013.

Korea wants China to reduce duties, a decision which would permit Chinese manufacturers to further drive down costs.

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has asked the Chinese government to lift anti-dumping duties on Korean polysilicon imports introduced in July 2013.

The request was made at the a joint strategic meeting with the private sector to discuss regulations on South Korean imports, according to Korean portal KBS. The article also reports that an official letter about the removal of duties was to be sent to high-level Chinese leaders, and MOTIE will also discuss the matter at an upcoming meeting of the World Trade Organization’s committee on anti-dumping practices scheduled for April, as well as at the Seoul International Forum on Trade Remedies in May.

In November 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced an adjustment of polysilicon duties for Korean imports. The duties for Korean producers were adjusted as follows: OCI Company Ltd. 4.4%; South Korea’s Silicon Industry Co, Ltd. (Hankook SiliconCo. Ltd.) 9.5%; Hanwha Chemical Corporation 8.9%; SMP Ltd. 88.7%; Woongjin Polysilicon Co Ltd. 113.8%; KCC Corp. and Korean Advanced Materials (KAM Corp) 113.8%; Innovation Silicon Co, Ltd. 113.8%; and other Korean companies 88.7%.

When it introduced the duties in 2013, MOFCOM set import duties ranging from 2.4% to 48.7% for Korean producers, while U.S. manufacturers were handed duties ranging from 53.3-57%, depending on the dumping margin. European manufacturers, and especially German companies, were spared the measures, as Beijing and Berlin reached an agreement on the matter in July 2013.