Japan files complaint against China in WTO over anti-dumping duties

Japan has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel products, saying tariffs of up to 29% violate international trade rules

Japan has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over China's anti-dumping duties on their stainless steel products, saying that the tariffs of up to 29 per cent violate international trade rules.

On Friday, Japan requested consultations with China under the WTO Agreement regarding China's measure imposing anti-dumping duties on stainless steel products, which has been in place since July 2019.

In July 2019, China started imposing anti-dumping (AD) duties on stainless steel products imported from Japan, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and the EU, claiming that its domestic industry was being injured by the dumped imports of such products.

According to the country's Economy and Trade Ministry, Japan considers the AD measure to be inconsistent with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 due to flaws in the Chinese authorities' determination and its investigation procedures.

Japan has repeatedly asked China to abolish the AD measure at the WTO and in bilateral meetings, but has failed to resolve the issue. Therefore, it has requested consultations under the WTO Agreement.

The total value of exports of stainless steel from Japan to China is approximately 70 billion yen per year, of which exports of the products subject to the AD measure account for approximately 9.2 billion yen (both figures as of 2019).