Indonesia against antidumping rules

Indonesia against antidumping rules

BANDUNG (JP): Indonesia called on Monday for a review of the
World Trade Organization's (WTO) antidumping regulations, saying
that these regulations have been manipulated by industrialized
countries to become protectionist measures.

The current WTO rules contained many weaknesses, Hatanto
Reksodipoetro, director-general of Industrial Institutes
Cooperation and International Trade at the Ministry of Industry
and Trade, said during a seminar about handling dumping charges.

Indonesia, along with other developing countries, will raise
the issue at a planned conference on trade liberalization
measures under the auspices of the WTO, he said.

The talks broke down in Seattle, Washington, in December
largely because of huge differences between the member countries,
including the row between industrialized and developing countries
over dumping practices.

Industrialized countries have charged developing countries of
widespread dumping practices and include in their definition of
"dumping" the huge subsidies provided to industries to keep their
costs down.

By seeking to revise the antidumping regulations, it does not
mean that Indonesia is supporting dumping activities, Hatanto
said, adding that Indonesia's own economy could be ruined without
antidumping regulations.

"We have to watch out for the imposition of the regulations
for the purpose of protecting inefficient industries," he said.

Investigations into allegations of dumping had to be done very
carefully as a government's intent to investigate was enough to
influence the market, he said.

At least seven Indonesian products have been given antidumping
duties by the European Commission since 1996.

Indonesia's bicycles and polyester fibers have been subject to
countervailing duties since 1996, polyolefin woven bags and
footwear made of textile in 1997, footwear made of leather in
1998, microdisks in 1999 and the synthetic staple fibers of
polyester last month.

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrial nations agreed
at the G8 summit in Japan last month to relaunch the WTO
conference within five months.

Indonesia supported the plan but said the new talks would have
to include specific issues such as antidumping and investment,
Hatanto said. (25/10)