RI seeking to end dispute with RP over cement trade<\/p>\n
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Trade and Industry expects its Philippine
\ncounterpart to nullify a safeguard duty on Indonesian cement
\nimports, thus ending a dispute over cement trade, a senior
\ngovernment official said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Director General of International Cooperation at the Ministry
\nof Trade and Industry Hatanto Reksodiputro said that the duty
\nmust be canceled after acknowledgment by the Philippine Tariff
\nCommission last week that the influx of Indonesian cement
\nproducts had not hurt the Philippine cement industry.<\/p>\n
Hatanto added that Indonesians the right file a complaint with
\nthe World Trade Organization (WTO) if the Philippine government
\nfails to revoke the extra import duty within 120 days of issuing
\nits statement.<\/p>\n
\"We are still awaiting a final decision,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Under a WTO ruling, each member country is allowed to impose a
\nsafeguard measure to protect a particular local industry if
\nevidence exists that it is threatened by an influx of imports.<\/p>\n
The Philippine government imposed an increase of 20.6 pesos
\n(about 1 U.S. cent) late last year in extra duties per bag of
\nimported Indonesian cement following accusations by the
\nPhilippine Cement Producers Association (Philcemcor) that the
\nimports were threatening the existence of local cement makers.<\/p>\n
According to data from Philcemcor, cement imports from
\nIndonesia reached 369.473 metric tons in 2000, or about 23.4
\npercent of the total Philippine market of 1.6 million metric
\ntons.<\/p>\n
From January to September 2001, Indonesian imports rose
\nsharply to 944.715 metric tons, or 50 percent of the country's
\ntotal market of 1.865 million metric tons.<\/p>\n
But the Philippine Tariff Commission said in its report that
\nthe Indonesian cement products caused no injury to the country's
\ncement industry.<\/p>\n
This means that the Philippine government is now obligated to
\nimmediately revoke the safeguard duties on Indonesian cement
\nproducts, according to the WTO ruling.<\/p>\n
Hatanto added that the Philippine government did not notify
\nthe WTO when it imposed the duty.<\/p>\n
He said that, until the Philippines government revokes the
\nduty, Indonesian cement producers must continue paying the tariff
\nwhile selling their products in the Philippines.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-seeking-to-end-dispute-with-rp-over-cement-trade-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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