BHP Steel accuses Asian countries of dumping steel

BHP Steel accuses Asian countries of dumping steel

Agence France-Presse, Melbourne

BHP Steel said on Wednesday it would file anti-dumping charges against Japan, China, South Korea and Indonesia due to imports of carbon steel heavy plates.

Australia's biggest steel-maker said it had placed a complaint before the customs department earlier this month but had withdrawn it at the department's request, for further clarification.

A new application would be lodged next week, said a spokeswoman for BHP Steel Ltd., which was demerged from Anglo- Australian resources giant BHP Billiton in the middle of last year.

The documents are expected to be filed on Feb. 24.

A Sydney steel analyst said the market for carbon steel heavy plates in Asia was tight.

"Demand compared to supply is quite strong," he said.

"I think steel plate prices are going to rise. This (complaint) would not be about too much product on the market it would be about price... probably accusing companies of selling at marginal cost just to keep their volumes up.

"It will be up to BHP Steel to demonstrate the plates are being imported below production cost or below what they're selling at on the domestic market of the country of origin."

The number of actions relating to unfair trade practice in the steel industry has accelerated around the globe since March last year when the United States and Europe introduced tough new safeguard measures and high tariffs on steel imports.

The Australian steel industry has been in talks with the federal government over the past 11 months to ensure any impact on the local and regional steel trade was minimized.

On Jan. 29, BHP Steel was granted an exemption from China's safeguard measures for two of its products, allowing the steel- maker to increase its volume of painted steel exports into China from 60,000 tons (66,000 tons) in 2002 to an expected 100,000 tons in 2003.