China opens anti-dumping probe into p-nitrotoluene from the EU

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) opened an anti-dumping investigation on October 3, 2026 into imports of p-nitrotoluene (PNT) from the European Union. The petition was filed on September 14 by producers Jiangsu Huaihe Chemical and Hubei Dongfang Chemical on behalf of the Chinese industry.

The product, under Chinese tariff code 29042020, is used to make p-toluidine, DSD acid, p-nitrobenzoic acid and TDI, among others, with applications in dyes, pigments, pesticides and pharmaceuticals. The dumping investigation period runs from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, and the injury period from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026. A ruling is due by October 3, 2027, extendable by six months.

According to a MOFCOM spokesperson, preliminary evidence shows EU import volumes stayed high in 2022–2025 while prices fell nearly 60% cumulatively. The spokesperson also said the EU has opened 28 trade remedy investigations against China since 2025, about half on chemicals, and called for dialogue.

CSP take: PNT is a small market, but the case shows chemical trade remedies have become a bargaining tool between Beijing and Brussels. Buyers of Chinese chemical intermediates should watch whether new cases reach inputs in their own chain. This reading is ours, not MOFCOM’s.