39 products faced dumping claims last year
39 products faced dumping claims last year
JAKARTA (JP): Several countries filed dumping claims on 39 of
Indonesia's export commodities last year, says an official of the
Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee.
Committee Chairman T.L. Yousuf said during 1996 Indonesia also
accused a number of importing countries of the same offense.
Yousuf said Wednesday the dumping claims on Indonesian
products included those from the United States, for melamine
products, and Australia, for A4-size photocopy paper.
Since an anti-dumping law was established in Indonesia last
year, Indonesia has so far filed claims against products from
South Korea and Taiwan, for synthetic fiber; from Thailand and
India, for carbon paper; and from Russia, India, China and
Ukraina, for steel plates.
Yousuf said there were several other countries accused of
dumping their products in Indonesia and were now being assessed
by the Anti-Dumping Committee.
He said most of the alleged dumping practices might have been
done by exporters before Indonesia introduced the laws last year.
"The United States and Australia have long applied anti-
dumping laws," Yousuf said in Antara.
He said Indonesia's anti-dumping clauses conformed with
international regulations and with Indonesia's long-term
interests.
He said Indonesia's manufactured product industries were often
charged with anti-dumping claims and exporters frequently
suffered from "hidden protectionist measures" when in fact
"Indonesia was clearly not dumping".
Yousuf said the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
had often advised exporters to understand the anti-dumping laws
of their foreign trade partners.
Indonesia's anti-dumping laws, he said, were not meant as a
protectionist measure.
Yousuf said the industrial areas in Indonesia, such as Batam,
were prone to anti-dumping claims.
Giving an example, he said that if an item produced by a
Japanese company was subject to an anti-dumping claim from the
European Union (EU), Batam could be effected if the Japanese
company manufactured the item there.
The EU would investigate the origin of the product and
calculate the product's local content.
"If it is less than 40 percent, for example, Japan will have
to pay and Batam will be effected. In cases such as these, we can
negotiate with Japan and ask it to not only invest in assembling
projects but to also increase local content as required (by the
EU)," he said. (pwn)