India: Five-year anti-dumping duty on Chinese PET resin to strengthen domestic market

• India retains $200.66/t duty on Chinese bottle-grade PET resin imports
• DGTR finds continued dumping, rising imports and persistent price undercutting
• Measure expected to support domestic producers’ margins and market share

India has extended anti-dumping protection on imports of bottle-grade virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin from China, with the Ministry of Finance imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty (ADD) of $200.66/t for a further five years following a sunset review conducted by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR). The move continues the trade remedy first introduced in March 2021 and is aimed at protecting domestic manufacturers from continued injury caused by low-priced Chinese imports.

The duty applies to bottle-grade virgin PET resin with an intrinsic viscosity of 0.72 dl/g or higher under HS codes 3907 61 10, 3907 61 90, 3907 69 30 and 3907 69 90. Recycled PET resin has been excluded from the scope of the measure. The notification was issued on 19 June and will remain effective for five years unless amended, superseded or withdrawn earlier.

DGTR flags persistent dumping and injury

In its final findings issued on 20 March 2026, the DGTR concluded that dumping margins and injury margins for Chinese producers remained positive and significant. The authority noted that imports from China continued to rise at a substantial pace despite the anti-dumping duty already being in force, indicating sustained pressure on the domestic industry.

The investigation also found that Chinese imports continued to undercut domestic prices, affecting the profitability and competitiveness of Indian PET resin producers. According to the DGTR, the removal of duties could lead to a further increase in imports and intensify price suppression in the domestic market.

Duty designed to prevent circumvention

The renewed measure applies not only to Chinese-origin PET resin shipped directly from China but also to Chinese-origin material exported through third countries. Similarly, exports shipped from China remain covered under the duty framework, limiting the scope for trade diversion and circumvention.

The anti-dumping duty has been notified in US dollars and will be payable in Indian rupees based on the applicable exchange rate prevailing on the date of filing the bill of entry.

Industry impact

The continuation of the duty is expected to provide pricing support to domestic PET resin manufacturers by reducing the competitiveness of low-priced Chinese imports. Market participants expect the measure to improve pricing discipline and support margins for local producers, particularly as demand from the beverage, food packaging and consumer goods sectors remains steady.

However, downstream converters and packaging manufacturers are likely to closely monitor domestic PET resin prices in the coming months to assess the impact on raw material costs and procurement strategies.

Outlook

The five-year extension of anti-dumping protection reinforces India’s commitment to safeguarding its domestic PET resin industry from unfairly priced imports. With the DGTR highlighting continued dumping, rising import volumes and persistent price undercutting despite the existing duty regime, the renewed measure is expected to support domestic producers’ market share and profitability. Going forward, industry participants will closely track import trends, domestic price movements and sourcing patterns as the market adjusts to the extended trade protection framework.