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23 October 2002
ANTI-DUMPING: SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT
Anti-dumping investigations decline in first half of 2002

The WTO Secretariat reported that in the period 1 January to 30 June 2002, 17 members initiated 104 anti-dumping investigations against exports from a total of 39 different countries or customs territories. During the corresponding period of 2001, 19 WTO members had initiated 149 anti-dumping investigations. Out of the 104 initiations for the reported period 37 were initiated by developed countries, while 63 were initiated by developing countries.

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India initiated 25 investigations during the first semester of 2002, as compared with 24 investigations initiated during the first semester of 2001. The United States had the second highest number of initiations (22) during the first half of 2002, compared with 40 during the corresponding period in 2001. Argentina had the third highest number of initiations, 10.

China, with 16 investigations on its exports, is at the top of the list of countries subject to anti-dumping investigations, although this number is a decrease from the 24 investigations initiated on Chinese exports during the first semester of 2001. India, Indonesia and Russia were next, each with six investigations initiated on their exports in the first half of 2002. South Africa had five investigations initiated on its exports, while Chinese Taipei, the European Communities, Korea, Romania, Singapore, and Ukraine each had four investigations initiated on their exports in the first half of 2002.

The largest group (38) of investigations initiated during the first half of 2002 involved products classified in the base metals sector of the Harmonized System of Tariff Classification, which includes iron, steel and aluminium products. The other most affected sector was chemicals, with 36 investigations initiated. Out of its 25 investigations India initiated the majority (20) on chemical products, while out of the 22 initiations by the United States there were 16 initiations on base metals products.

Fourteen WTO members imposed a total of 111 final anti-dumping measures against exports from 43 countries or customs territories during the first half of 2002. This total represents an increase from the 82 measures imposed during the corresponding period of 2001. This increase in the number of measures adopted may be the result of the high number of initiations for previous periods, notably the second half of 2000 (194) and the first half of 2001 (149). It is also worthy of note that for the period reviewed there were more final measures than initiations, suggesting a decline in the use of the anti-dumping instrument. The United States imposed the most final measures (25) during the first semester of 2002, a significant increase from the eight final measures imposed by the United States during the corresponding period of 2001. India was a close second to the United States in the number of final measures imposed during the period, with 21 measures, followed by Argentina and the European Communities, which adopted 17 and 14 measures respectively.

Exports from China were the subject of the largest number, 19, of final measures imposed during the first semester of 2002. Chinese Taipei was a distant second, with nine measures. For China, this represents a significant increase from the nine measures imposed against its exports during the first semester of 2001.

As was the case for initiations, the sector most affected by final measures was base metals, with 33 final measures imposed on products in that sector. This was followed by the chemicals sector, with 30 measures imposed, and the plastics sector with 18 measures.

The anti-dumping semi-annual reports by Members for the period 1 January to 30 June 2002 can be found under document series G/ADP/N/92.

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