While the EU is trying to protect its market from the rise in low-cost Chinese imports, alarm is mounting in the face of a new phenomenon in the European Union: Chinese companies are introducing ways to overcome the bloc's tariff barriers.
France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Lithuania are increasingly fuzzy and complex actions to avoid EU customs duties, the European Commission jointly warned “ on ”.
In an informal proposal last month, which did not name any Chinese company, the quartet called for ’ improvements to AB“'s anti-skipping tool, which would allow ’AB” to guarantee the legal effect and effectiveness of existing trade defense measures.
Euronews found that online Chinese companies offer ways to explicitly avoid EU trade defense measures, including anti-dumping duties imposed on imports sold at AB’ at prices below their normal values in Brussels’in China’.
Skipping practices include setting up production facilities or making small changes to products in countries where EU extra tariffs are not targeted. Not all of this is illegal unless businesses at AB’ provide solid evidence that they are harming their industry, but many are thought to be at least controversial, prompting the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to launch an investigation into the true origin of certain products.
As the EU faces a wave of China's ’ overcapacity, exceeding tariffs has become an even more pressing concern. European manufacturers have filed a growing number of complaints against Commission’a, alleging unfair trade practices in various sectors and the strain on the resources of EU officials.
Transfer through third countries
One of the ways Chinese companies are already pursuing is to establish production facilities in so-called “gate countries, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey or various southeast Asian countries, which benefit from favorable trade agreements or are not subject to EU anti-dumping taxes.
Other methods include minor product changes designed to change the customs classification and minor changes designed to transfer goods through ’gate “ countries to create the impression that the goods were actually manufactured there, even though they were entirely made in China”.
Euronews’in research has revealed that some Chinese companies do not hide their activities and openly offer online services to overcome trade barriers.
Xin Rui Da Logistics, a logistics supplier from Shenzhen’, specializes in “anti-dumping research and providing transit trade solutions for third countries. the Website.
The company says it has solved the problems of many Chinese businesses and foreign importers with restricted products in “, such as anti-dumping, compensatory, quota restrictions and trade barriers such as CIQ (Customs, Inspection and Quarantine), ” says, and “ explains that it has re-exported from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong”.
Xin Rui Da Logistics is currently working on a variety of products, from e-bikes to steel, aluminum and plywood product categories; All of these have been hit by AB’'s anti-dumping taxes in recent years.
The company did not respond to the interview request.
Sale of converted chemicals
The chemical sector, where competition between the EU and China is particularly intense, is particularly exposed to the risk of exceeding customs tariffs. European manufacturers are already under pressure due to the surplus of China’in production capacity, which is flooding the EU market with imports and increasing competitive pressure.
On the complaint of EU producers, the European Commission imposed an anti-dumping tax on a specific chemical imported from China’: titanium dioxide (TiO2), a strategic chemical used in green technologies and aerospace. The missions were temporarily brought to ’ on July 2024 and finalized on January 9, 2025.
But some Chinese producers are looking for ways to adapt to the new tariffs to export the chemical to AB’.
ChinaZontai Titanium Dioxide ’in manager Nina Zhu, a company based in Guangdong province, south of ’, He wrote itA few months before AB’ introduced its customs duties on LinkedIn’de: “AB’'s anti-dumping taxes will be introduced at the end of the year. It is advisable to prepare inventory in advance to provide you with a variety of titanium dioxide solutions.”
Euronews’in contacted Zhu, who confirmed that the company can supply products with TiO2 content below 80 percent’ to avoid EU tariffs.
Later, 2025’te NanJing Titanium Industry International described in theThe recently commercialized new type of mixed TiO2’ “, with excellent performance, qualifies as the highest quality”, adding: “Furthermore, its unique features allow you to bypass certain regional anti-dumping taxes, saving you significant costs. It's a game-changer for your business!”
The company did not respond to Euronews’'s requests for comment.
In some cases, as soon as the EU launches an anti-dumping investigation that could result in additional taxes, Chinese companies begin offering such services.
This is what led to the introduction of new tariffs in January 2025, following the Commission's decision to launch an anti-dumping investigation against Chinese TiO2 producers in ’ on 13 November 2023.
In a LinkedIn post on January 23, 2024, an executive of Titan Industry’, a Shandong-based company, offered EU customers certificates of origin for shipments via “ Vietnam or Thailand to deal with anti-dumping taxes imposed by ”AB. Such certificates may have obscured the true origin of the product produced in China’.
Since then, the company has removed the post from social media, saying it has stopped offering such transfer solutions because Euronews’e is not allowed to.
Instead, “ said it would build a new TiO2 factory in ’, Vietnam.
‘Shoot the mole’
Like many other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam is often seen as ’, a country where Chinese companies invest in exporting to AB“. However, in some cases, companies cannot maintain a real production presence in the country.
The situation is hitting a ’ mole, according to Deborah Elms’e, a trading expert from the Hinrich Foundation ’ in Singapore“ problem.
Euronews’e said: “If you go after a particular company for illegal transfer, you'll discover that this is the mailbox address of a company that changed its name and moved to another location very quickly.”
“If the tariffs are high enough, there is always an incentive for companies to try to circumvent this illegally.”
Linlin Liang, spokesman for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce ’'s European Union (CCCEU), told Euronews’e that CCCEU’ is not aware of Chinese companies offering online solutions to overcome EU tariffs.
Liang, “Generally, the risks of circumvention are not specific to any country” said, adding that AB’ has a rooted anti-survival system“, and the important thing is that these ”tools are implemented in a transparent, evidence-based and proportionate manner“.
“Unfortunately, EU trade defence measures have so far largely targeted imports from China’, ” said.
Beijing has repeatedly threatened to retaliate if AB’ tightens its trade defence measures. But with AB’'s trade deficit with China reaching a record high of 359.9 billion euros in 2025’te, the European Commission announced last week that the current state of the “ trade and investment relationship is not sustainable.
AB’'s executive branch is expected to propose strengthening AB’'s trade defence system to EU leaders, who will meet for a summit in mid-June. The draft results shared by diplomats do not include the name Çin’in, but China’in is expected to be at the center of the discussions when the leaders meet.
OLAF is investigating
In its 2025 annual report, it said the issue of exceeding tariffs had become important enough for OLAF’ to take over investigations into such cases.
In particular, the report pointed to a case involving e-bikes, which would likely be imported from Indonesia’ to AB’, if the bloc's anti-fraud authority had not intervened.
It turns out that most of the components are actually of Chinese origin and are processed only in Indonesia’; This means that the goods must be labeled as of Chinese origin. OLAF assessed that if the products are exported to AB’, this plan could lead to €7.2 million avoiding EU import taxes. In the end, they weren't.
Thomas Grjebine, an economist at the French Centre for Research and Expertise in World Economy ’, Euronews’e “ChinaThe greater ’'s competition, the more difficult it will be, ” said.
In an important report for the French government's advisory body recently, it warned of the impact of Chinese competition on EU industry.
Grjebine, “We will not launch investigations into thousands of products, this is a complicated situation, ” said. Moreover, the investigations are carried out at the European level and customs checks are mostly carried out at the national level.“
Beyond commercial defense measures targeting specific products, industries such as the EU's automotive, metals and chemicals are facing an increase in cheap Chinese imports, while questions about the protection of all industrial sectors are also being raised.
But Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, China, which has invested billions of dollars in building factories in ’, already knows how to overcome industry-wide tariffs, leaving AB’ with even more challenges.
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