Alan Field | May 08, 2009 1:21PM EDT
Anti-dumping activity is up. Both the number of new investigations and new applications of anti-dumping measures increased worldwide in the second half of 2008, according to the latest report from the World Trade Organization.
India launched 42 new investigations during the second half of 2008, the highest number among the WTO members, followed by Brazil and China. The products most affected by new antidumping investigations in the second half of 2008 were metals, chemicals, and textiles.
China was the country most frequently subject to anti-dumping investigations launched during the second half of 2008, according to the WTO. Of the 120 new anti-dumping investigations initiated between July 1 and December 31 last year, 34 were directed at Chinese exports. During the same period in 2007, 103 new investigations were launched worldwide, and 40 of them were against China.
The second-most targeted trader was the European Union, which was targeted in 14 new anti-dumping investigations during the second half of 2008.
On a yearly basis, there were 208 initiations of new anti-dumping investigations in 2008, compared to 163 in 2007 and 202 in 2006.
When it comes to applying antidumping measures, which result from earlier investigations, the United States was the leader. It applied 21 new measures in the second half of 2008 compared with only two measures applied by the U.S. during the second half of 2007. The sectors most affected by the application of the new measures were chemicals, base metals, plastics and rubber.
Contact Alan Field at afield@joc.com .
