Steel sector wants Chinese Taipei to withdraw anti-dumping probe

Steel producers have asked the Commerce Ministry to convince Chinese Taipei to withdraw the anti-dumping investigation launched recently on certain carbon steel plates from India.

“The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) wants the government to intervene and take up the anti-dumping issue with Chinese Taipei as it believes that India’s exports of the item to the country is not high enough to make a difference to local producers,” a government official told BusinessLine .

The International Trade Commission (ITC) of Chinese Taipei, on February 24, initiated an anti-dumping investigation on imports of carbon steel plate, including other flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea and Ukraine.

The Indian industry’s argument against the anti-dumping investigation is that its steel exports to Chinese Taipei comprise just 5 per cent of the country’s total imports of the item. Moreover, Japan, which is the highest exporter of steel products to Chinese Taipei, has been exempt from the anti-dumping investigation.

“The steel industry wants the government to use these arguments to make a case for withdrawal of anti-dumping investigations against India. We will go through a detailed report that we have asked from the industry and would take our decision,” the official said.

Although India’s exports of steel to Chinese Taipei is not high, the industry wants to protest the move as there is increased protectionism taking place globally in the sector, the official said.

Last year, India won a case at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against anti-subsidy duties imposed by the US on certain steel products from the country. Washington is yet to implement the decision and had asked India to extend the deadline till April 19 in the last meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body

The Indian steel industry is going through a difficult period fighting overcapacity and cheap imports from China. Despite imposition of minimum import price recently, steel imports in March increased by 18.2 per cent to 9,94,000 tonne.