At 79%, China has most cases of dumping cheap products in India: Data

New Delhi China topped a list of 20 countries with over 79% of total 43 dumping cases registered by India this year as the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) is conducting an investigation into alleged damage to the domestic chemicals, glass, metals, fibres and plastic sectors.

While 43 anti-dumping cases including reviews initiated by DGTR in 2024, China is accused either solo or with other countries in 34 cases, Thailand falls in the second place with six cases and Taiwan is third with five. Russia and the European Union (EU) are involved in four cases each while the US, Vietnam and Japan are accused in three cases each.

“On complaints of injury by domestic industry, anti-dumping duties are imposed by the government after due investigation conducted by DGTR,” one official said who did not wish to be named.   

China is under the scanner for unfair trade practices such as dumping of goods cheaper than their manufacturing costs in the Indian market to hurt domestic manufacturers. Such items include polyethylene terephthalate resin, aluminium foil, saccharin, decor paper, titanium dioxide, azo pigments, glufosinate, T-shaped elevators, aniline, cold rolled non-oriented electrical steel, black toner powder cartridges, and solar cells.

While Chine is solely accused of dumping the above-mentioned goods, for alleged dumping of soda ash it is also under the scanner in Turkey, Russia, Iran and the US. For virgin multi-layer paperboard, Chine shared the accusation with Chile, for resorcinol with Japan, for black toner in the powder form with Malaysia and Taiwan, for acrylonitrile butadiene rubber with the European Union, South Korea and Russia, and for mono ethylene glycol it is accused along with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.

Products under investigation where China has no role are very few. Such items include aluminium foil below 80 microns (allegedly dumped from Thailand), linear alkyl benzene (from Iran and Qatar), thiram in any form (the EU), purified terephthalic acid (Korea and Thailand), hot rolled flat products of alloy or non-alloy steel (Vietnam), and mono ethylene glycol (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore).

Dumping is an unfair trade practice that entails the export of a product at a price lower than its normal value and the same is countered by a punitive anti-dumping duty, which is an acceptable measure under multilateral trade agreements, a government official said, requesting anonymity.

“Investigation by the DGTR is, however, a lengthy and time-taking process,” he added. Trade remedial investigations often take about 10-12 months.

The DGTR, an arm of the commerce and industry ministry, is a quasi-judicial body that independently undertakes investigations before making its recommendations to the Union government for taking action against dumping. Previously known as the Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties, the DGTR acts as a single-window agency providing a level playing field to the domestic industry against such unfair trade practices.