The United Kingdom government said it is proposing to keep in place anti-dumping measures on continuous filament glass fibre from China first put in place five years ago to protect its own manufacturers and industry. The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), an agency created following Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU), is reviewing tariffs on a series of products made in China. It has already extended similar provisions on cold rolled flat steel and wire rod made in China. “Glass fibre is a vital component in UK advanced manufacturing, used in wind turbine blades and electric vehicles,” Oliver Griffiths, a TRA spokesman said in a statement. “The provisional findings we are announcing today would protect UK glass fibre producers from unfair international competition.” The anti-dumping measures were first put in place in 2017, following a decision by the European Commission, with duties as high as 30.2 per cent. British authorities maintained the duties following the UK’s exit from the EU in 2020. The TRA said it is proposing the anti-dumping measures remain in place for another five years, The agency is conducting a 30-day comment period and will make a final recommendation at a later date. The glass fibre tariffs are among some 44 trade measures carried over from Britain’s time in the trade bloc. Each measure from that time is now being reviewed by the trade agency. China was the fifth largest source of imported continuous filament glass fibre products, accounting for 8.4 per cent of UK imports in 2020, it added. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the government’s new energy policy as it seeks to reduce its reliance on imports following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has driven up energy prices globally. The “British energy security strategy” includes more use of offshore wind and nuclear power, as well as supporting domestic fossil fuel production. Wind turbine blades are considered integral to its energy security policy. Besides wind turbine blades, the glass fibre filament is used in the automotive, marine, building and construction and consumer goods manufacturing industries. In February, the EU extended its anti-dumping measures on Chinese-produced glass fibre fabrics to imports consigned from Morocco, saying those imports were designed to evade EU tariffs. Glass fibre fabrics also are used in the production of wind turbine blades, with the EU importing roughly €300 million (US$324 million) of the material annually.