"We have the ability to process 200,000 tons of waste oil and 160,000 tons of biodiesel every year. Before that, there were about 14,000 tons to 15,000 tons per month, which was the biodiesel export of one or two ships. But now, the factory has basically stopped production and no new trade orders have been signed. The EU investigation has a great impact on enterprises. " Li Aijun, chairman of Tangshan Jinlihai Biodiesel Co., Ltd., recently told the reporter of China Energy News about the company’s export status.
"In the past, 90% of the biodiesel we produced will be exported to Europe. However, since the anti-circumvention investigation last year, the buyer’s purchasing intention has begun to weaken. After the anti-dumping investigation was announced at the end of last year, the company’s business was once again hit, and the factory’s starting load rate has been hovering at a low level, and it is basically in a state of suspension. " A person in charge of a biodiesel head enterprise also expressed helplessness.
At present, it has been more than one month since the European Union issued a statement on December 20, 2023 to launch an anti-dumping investigation on biodiesel imported from China. Under the joint attack of the previous anti-circumvention and the current anti-dumping investigation, the impact of domestic biodiesel exports is becoming prominent.
"This is a well-prepared siege of China’s bio-industry, which has a great impact on the domestic bio-diesel industry and enterprises. We must actively face it." Ji Xing, deputy director of the Special Oil Products Professional Committee of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, said, "This has sounded the alarm for the industry and spurred us to speed up the establishment of more perfect international general regulatory rules, evaluation systems and a more open and reasonable international trade environment. This is the focus of the healthy development of the biodiesel industry in the future and the key to truly exerting its green and low-carbon value."
■ successive investigations affect exports.
Biodiesel in China is mainly made of waste cooking oil, which is an effective way to prevent waste cooking oil from returning to the table and reduce the exhaust pollution of diesel vehicles. "Replacing fossil diesel with biodiesel per kilogram can reduce 3000 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, which has both environmental and social values." Ji Xing said.
The decarbonization value of biodiesel depends on the source of raw materials. Limited by raw materials and carbon emission standards, Europe needs to increase biodiesel imports. In order to encourage more sustainable fuel production methods, the European Union has also labeled biodiesel produced by raw materials such as catering waste oil as "green advanced" and provided a lot of subsidies and promotion opportunities.
Ji Xing told China Energy News that at present, China’s biodiesel is far ahead in terms of production technology, product quality and technical indicators, and it is one of the most important biodiesel producers and exporters in the world. Biodiesel produced by enterprises in Hebei, Fujian and Zhejiang is exported to Europe every year. "Since China’s biodiesel obtained the European market access qualification, the export volume has increased year by year."
"China enterprises have the ability to supply, and the EU is the world’s largest biodiesel consumption market. This is a mutually beneficial and win-win trade. However, since 2023, China biodiesel has been repeatedly targeted, and the EU has repeatedly launched a review of imported biodiesel, which has hit the industry development and the enthusiasm of enterprise production. " Ji Xing said frankly.
In April, 2023, ISCC (International Sustainable Development and Carbon Certification) initiated the review of biodiesel certification enterprises in China. On August 17th, 2023, the EU began to investigate whether Indonesian biodiesel evaded EU tariffs through China and Britain. The latest investigation was initiated by a complaint from EBB (European Biodiesel Committee), an EU producer organization, and will cover transactions from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. It is understood that this investigation will last for 14 months, and it is possible to impose temporary tariffs within 8 months.
"The EU’s anti-dumping investigation on China’s biodiesel industry was initiated in the course of its anti-circumvention investigation on China’s biodiesel industry, that is to say, it launched an anti-dumping investigation before the anti-circumvention investigation ended. Anti-circumvention investigation can be said to be a fire reconnaissance, and anti-dumping investigation is an actual fire attack. Since the EU began to conduct anti-circumvention investigations, China’s biodiesel industry has been affected. " Ji Xing pointed out, "This also reflects the lack of competitiveness of relevant products in the EU. Under the impetus of industrial interest groups, the EU can only implement trade protectionist measures. However, this practice cannot fundamentally enhance the competitiveness of related industries, and will only affect the stability of the global industrial chain. "
"In 2022, our company exported more than 200,000 tons of biodiesel, and in 2023 it was only a little more than 100,000 tons, a large part of which was exported before August of that year." The person in charge of the above-mentioned biodiesel head enterprise said, "To be honest, although I have confidence in the development of the biodiesel industry, I am still a little confused at the moment. However, we will also set up a special working group to hire a team of professional lawyers to actively respond to this survey. "
■ Stay rational and respond actively.
According to the reporter of "China Energy News", a number of tariff codes are listed in the EU anti-dumping investigation order, from 1518 to 3826. Among them, 1518 is mainly the tax number of biodiesel raw materials, and 3826 is mainly the tax number of biodiesel products. "But only 3826 was investigated during the real investigation, and 1518 was not investigated." Some insiders revealed.
Many business people interviewed also bluntly said that the EU’s intention is to suppress China’s advanced private biodiesel production enterprises and prefer raw materials with "cost performance". This raw material is the waste oil that the EU encourages China to export, and it can be used as the raw material of "advanced fuel", because using it to produce biodiesel can achieve "double carbon reduction".
Biodiesel production in China mainly uses waste oils such as waste cooking oil and waste oil residues from oil industry as raw materials. Considering the consumption mode, resource concentration and collectable range, the actual collectable raw materials are about 8-10 million tons. According to incomplete statistics, at present, the collection and utilization of catering waste oil in China is about 4.4 million tons, of which about 1.8 million tons are used to produce biodiesel, and about 1.58 million tons are exported. Hydrogenated animal and vegetable oils, detergents and pesticides are also used. However, due to scattered points, it is difficult to collect waste oil centrally at the national level. At present, only some large and medium-sized cities have established a relatively complete collection system for waste oil.
At present, waste oils and fats can be used as industrial mixed oils, and enjoy 70% of the VAT stipulated in the Catalogue of Preferential Value-added Taxes for Products and Services for Comprehensive Utilization of Resources, and then declared for export under the tariff code 15180000, and enjoy 13% export tax rebate, while the export tax rebate rate of biodiesel is zero.
Under this "bonus", many trading enterprises first put on the label of "industrial mixed oil" for gutter oil, and then enjoy the 70% VAT refund of "industrial mixed oil", and then put on the label of "declaration for export with tariff number of 15,180,000" and enjoy the 13% export tax rebate, thus enjoying the double preferential tax policy.
"Using’ fake hats’ to enjoy double tax incentives, these tax rebate dividends are replenished to overseas enterprises, which is bad for domestic enterprises and is not conducive to the development of the industry." Ji Xing pointed out, "This has also put a’ magic spell’ on tax administrations at all levels. In the future, it is necessary to thoroughly investigate the fraudulent use of waste oil as industrial-grade mixed oil, and to prevent kitchen waste treatment plants from falsely issuing invoices for industrial-grade mixed oil to biodiesel treatment plants to defraud the VAT refund. At the same time, it should be noted that the gutter oil is declared and exported under the tariff code of 15180000, and enjoys a 13% export tax rebate. Many enterprises have a high voice in this regard. After our investigation, the situation is true and the relevant departments need to correct it according to the law. "
After analyzing the wording and intention of relevant EU documents, Jinlianchuang Biofuels Research Group believes that the probability that the EU will completely abandon China biodiesel from the European market is low, and China’s waste oil supply has unique conditions in the global industry, which is in line with the EU’s energy strategic development route. China biodiesel industry chain enterprises should remain rational and actively respond to the lawsuit, actively communicate and negotiate with their own export agents or international trade teams, and, if possible, organize relevant materials as soon as possible according to the guidance of EU documents and request the EU for exemption, and at the same time seek the help of government agencies.
■ Break the situation of "flowers in the wall and fragrance outside the wall"
Based on the current situation faced by China’s biodiesel industry and production enterprises, the National Energy Administration organized a site meeting on the promotion and application of biodiesel in September 2023, and in November of the same year issued the Notice on Organizing the Pilot Demonstration of Biodiesel Promotion and Application (hereinafter referred to as the Notice), in order to expand the application scenarios of biodiesel in China and explore the establishment of a replicable and scalable policy system and development path.
On December 21st, 2023, the Ministry of Commerce also responded to the EU’s investigation on China’s biodiesel industry for the first time. Shu Yuting, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, said that China has always advocated the rational and prudent use of trade remedy measures and resolutely opposed the protectionist acts of abusing trade remedy measures.
"The promotion of the Notice by the National Energy Administration is a good thing for the industry. The Ministry of Commerce can support industrial development, correct the name of biodiesel, and also increase our confidence. However, there are still many difficulties in the actual promotion and application in the future. " Li Aijun told the reporter of China Energy News.
In addition, China has formulated and promulgated the standard "Biodiesel Blended Fuel (B5)" (GB/T 25199-2017) according to its own industrial reality, and made it clear that B5 biodiesel can be directly used as vehicle fuel. "Gasoline and diesel products have consumption tax, but after B5 is blended in gas stations, there is 5% biodiesel, 95% of which has been paid consumption tax. After blending, this 5% should be explicitly exempted from consumption tax, but there is no express support." The person in charge of the above-mentioned biodiesel head enterprise said, "In the case of unclear tax payment, whether to apply biodiesel has become’ undecided’, which has affected the enthusiasm for use to some extent."
Respondents all said that it is urgent to formulate and introduce more detailed and perfect supporting rules in the future, so that the promotion and application can really land.
The green value of biodiesel also needs to be popularized urgently. The "Notice" clearly states that qualified pilot demonstration projects will be given priority to be included in medium-and long-term loan projects in manufacturing industry, and the establishment of carbon emission reduction methodology for biodiesel will be actively promoted, and biodiesel will be included in the national certified voluntary emission reduction (CCER) mechanism to accelerate the realization of the green value of biodiesel.
Ji Xing suggested that in the future, a more scientific and perfect waste oil collection policy should be further established at the national level, and the fiscal, taxation and export management policies should be revised to give biodiesel enterprises a level playing field and change the long-standing situation that biodiesel products "blossom inside the wall and smell outside the wall". "What is difficult is not technology, but policy and management."
According to the leaders of many biodiesel enterprises, China’s biodiesel industry has grown completely in the market economy environment, and has mastered advanced, mature and mainstream related technologies. It is one of the few industries that has grown up without the support of subsidy policies, and it is full of resilience. Regarding the development prospect of biodiesel, the interviewees said that "the EU can’t stop the development of biodiesel in China".
Dongfeng Warrior 917 Xiaolong Armor appeared in Bona Film Co., Ltd., casting a hard-core cross-country legend together.
On April 26th, 2024, at the 18th beijing international automotive exhibition, Dongfeng Warrior Technology made its debut with a series of new energy all-terrain extreme off-road concept cars, including Warrior M-HUNTER hunter, Warrior 917 Dragon Armor and Warrior 917 Highland Lion.
Warrior M-HUNTER, as the world’s first model, has a pre-sale price of 3.68 million yuan. It is made of all-carbon fiber body and based on Warrior Intelligent Off-road Architecture M TECH, which is a pipe beam structure. The car is equipped with a military-grade central centralized inflation and deflation system, and the wheel torque exceeds 20000 N m. Equipped with 37-inch off-road tires and chassis lifting technology, the minimum ground clearance is as high as 425mm, combined with nitrogen shock absorption system, to ensure excellent stability and durability of the vehicle in complex terrain. The body is made of aviation-grade advanced carbon fiber to realize lightweight design.
The Warrior M-HUNTER hunter has abundant internal configuration, such as a hand platform, a detachable central control panel, an electronic exterior rearview mirror, a satellite phone, an offline map and so on. Among them, the offline map function ensures that accurate navigation service can still be provided in the environment of network signal loss.
At this auto show, Dongfeng Warrior Technology and Bona Film announced a strategic cooperation and jointly launched the first model-Warrior 917 Xiaolong Armor. Yu Dong, founder and chairman of Bona Film, announced the launch of the movie "Dragon Action" at the Warriors booth, and unveiled the Warriors 917 Dragon Armor together with Yu Zheng, deputy general manager of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd. Jiang Luxia and Gogo, the film’s leading actors, also attended the ceremony. In the winter, he placed an order and became the first owner of the Warrior 917 Dragon Armor, showing his deep recognition of the Warrior brand.
As the first model of Dongfeng Warrior Technology, Warrior 917 has added two new car colors, Sapu Blue and Daguyin, and opened the spare tire bracket, rear trailer hook, new generation roof platform, electric suction door of the whole car and other modified parts to all users. Users can personalize the options through Warrior Technology APP.
Following the official reform of three specific scenes, namely, the city of the wilderness, the falcon in the desert and the warrior on the weekend, Dongfeng Warriors Technology has pushed the official reform of the highland lion. Warrior 917 Highland Lion is specially equipped with high-strength aluminum-magnesium alloy front and rear bumpers (thickness 5mm) to enhance protection and durability. In the face of unpaved road conditions, the vehicle is equipped with 8MM aluminum-magnesium alloy reinforced bottom guard plate, spare tire bracket (fixed on the body girder, taking into account the need to protect the tailgate and carry a full-size spare tire), tailgate linkage design and nitrogen shock absorption system to comprehensively improve off-road performance.
The new generation roof platform can carry bicycles, kayaks, roof tents and other equipment, and can easily start a variety of outdoor activities such as mountain riding, drifting upstream, car camping and so on. The maximum traction of multifunctional rear trailer hook is 2.5 tons, which is enough to tow RV, motorcycle, Luya boat and so on.
Dongfeng Warrior Technology shoulders the responsibility of national brand upward, and once again attacks the market with three heavyweight models, fully demonstrating its unremitting pursuit of high quality, innovation and progress.