India heads in anti-dumping rules

By agencies   |   Monday, 23 May 2005, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: India has emerged not only as the third highest initiator of new anti-dumping investigations in the world, after the European Union and China during the second half of 2004 (July to December), but also heads the list in imposing new final anti-dumping measures, the World Trade Organization has said. In its latest report on anti-dumping duty released in Geneva, the world trade monitoring body said both the number of initiations of new anti-dumping investigations, and the number of new final anti-dumping measures applied, showed substantial declines compared with the corresponding period of 2003. WTO said 17 members initiated a total of 103 new probes, down from 135 in the corresponding period of 2003. As for new final anti-dumping measures, 15 members applied 91 new measures during the period under review, a decline from 108 new measures in the corresponding months of 2003. Twenty-six of the new initiation and 23 of the new final measures were by developed countries, down from 48 initiation and 24 new final measures of the corresponding period of 2003. In the new initiations, the EU led with the highest number during July-December 2004, against four in July-December 2003. China, with 16 initiations during the second half of 2004, was in second place, also registering an increase over the 11 for the second half of 2003. India, in third place with 14 initiations, registered a decline of more than 50 percent from its 33 during July-December 2003. China remains the most frequent subject of new investigations, with 25 initiations directed at its exports during July-December 2004. Korea was the second most frequent subject, with 12 initiations directed at its exports, an increase from the seven in the second half of 2003. The products subjected to new investigations during the second half of 2004 were led by the chemicals sector (28 initiations), followed by plastics (16 initiations), and base metals (12 initiations). Of the initiations on chemical products, China accounted for 13, with its remaining three investigations focusing on products in the plastics sector. India accounted for seven initiations on chemical products, and for five on plastics. Concerning application of new final anti-dumping measures, India headed the list during the second half of 2004, applying 23 of the 91 total new measures reported. This marked a decline in absolute terms, however, from the 32 new measures reported by India in the second half of 2003. Turkey, applying 12 new measures, held second place, and reported an increase from seven new measures it applied during the second half of 2003. China reported applying the third-largest number of new measures in absolute terms, i.e., 10 new measures, but this was less than half of the 22 new measures in July-December 2003. WTO said products exported from China remained the most frequent subject of new measures, accounting for 25 of the 91 total measures reported. The United States, with its products being the subject of nine new measures, was a distant second, followed by India and Korea in third place (eight measures each). Products in the chemicals sector were the most frequent subjects of new measures during the second half of 2004, accounting for 29 of the 91 total new measures. In second place were products in the plastics sector, which were subject to 20 new measures. Products in the base metals sector were the subjects of 15 new measures, while products in the textiles sector were the subjects of 11 new measures. Of the 29 new measures on products in the chemicals sector, China applied 20, followed by India (which applied seven) and Korea (which applied four). India led in terms of new measures on products in the plastics sector, accounting for 13 of the 20 total measures, followed by Turkey (five), the WTO said.