BEIJING, Sept. 15 -- The European Union has imposed dumping tariffs up to 86.8 percent on a welding product from China, alleging that Chinese manufacturers of tungsten electrodes had harmed their European rivals by selling below production costs.

    The Chinese companies that responded to the investigation said there is little they can do about the decision, but they hope the country takes steps to help domestic manufacturers gain an advantage in future global competition.

    Tungsten electrodes are used for welding in industries such as aerospace, automobiles, shipbuilding, oil and natural gas.

    Austria's Plansee Metall GmbH, which accounts for more than half of the EU's output of the product, suffered "heavy price pressure" and "injury" from the Chinese imports, the Brussels-based European Commission said in its Official Journal on Wednesday.

    "The price pressure from the dumped imports ... will force the (European) community's industry to cease production of tungsten electrodes, which is of strategic importance to a number of high-technology sectors," the Journal said.

    The anti-dumping duties amount to 25.9 percent for Shandong Weldstone Tungsten Industry Co., 35 percent for Beijing Advanced Metal Materials Co., 46.9 percent for Shaanxi Yuheng Tungsten & Molybdenum Industrial Co. and 86.8 percent for all other Chinese manufacturers.

    The duties take effect today across the 25-nation European Union, will last six months and may be prolonged for five years.

    "There's little we can do now," said Li Wenling, who is in charge of the export department at Beijing Tungsten & Molybdenum Material Factory.

    Eight Chinese companies responded to the dumping accusation, but all failed to convince the European Union they should escape the charges.

    China's share of the EU tungsten-electrode market rose to 76 percent last year from 22 percent in 2001, the EU commission said.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)