WTO Rejects India's Challenges Against Steel Import Laws: U.S.

WASHINGTON: The U.S. claimed that the WTO has rejected most of India's challenges against American trade remedy laws and determinations regarding imports of certain steel products from India.

According to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the World Trade Organization panel rejected India's challenges to key aspects of U.S. countervailing duty laws and regulations, and most of the hundreds of challenges brought by India against case-specific Department of Commerce determinations in a countervailing duty proceeding covering hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from the country.

"This dispute is another example of the Administration's commitment to fight for American workers and industry by taking strong trade remedy measures against unfair subsidies and defending those actions when challenged by our trading partners," U.S. Trade Representative Froman said.

"The WTO panel's findings rejecting most of India's numerous challenges to our laws and determinations is a significant victory for the United States and for the workers and businesses making these steel products," Froman said.

In its order, the WTO panel upheld key U.S. countervailing duty laws and regulations regarding the application of "facts available" and the calculation of benefit.

The panel also rejected most of the challenges brought by India against Commerce's case-specific determinations, including challenges to over 300 instances of the use of "facts available", challenges to Commerce's benchmark calculations and specificity determinations, findings that two Indian entities constituted "public bodies."

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