But after making its preliminary ruling, the ministry has decided to put off anti-dumping measures against companies from these regions because of a domestic shortage of cold-rolled steel coil.

The ministry said its investigations would continue until a final judgment was passed, when a decision on whether and when to impose the anti-dumping measures will be made.

If the need arises, temporary penalties could be introduced before then, said the ministry.

The ministry judged that the Russian supplier JSC Severstal could face for a 9 percent anti-dumping tax while JSC Novolipetsk Iron & Steel Corporation, Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works and other Russian companies had a dumping margin of 29 percent.

Among South Korean suppliers, the margins proposed by the Ministry ranged from 9 percent to 40 percent. The Ukrainian firms face 12 percent to 22 percent margins, while those for Kazakhstan ranged from 21 percent to 48 percent. Taiwan firms could be hit with margins of 8 percent to 55 percent.

Domestic firms Shanghai Baosteel Corp, Anshan Iron and Steel Corp and Wuhan Iron and Steel Shareholding Co Ltd, which together account for more than half of China's total production of cold rolled steel coil or substitutes, submitted an application for anti-dumping measures to the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation (MOFTEC) on February 20, 2002.

The ministry's investigations showed China's imports of the product increased about 10 percent and 27 percent in 2000 and 2001 respectively, accounting for 35 percent and 42 percent of China's market over the two years.

Ministry data also show that the price of these imports has plunged, forcing down the price of similar or alternative domestic products.

The ministry yesterday also announced it would extend the timeframe for investigating anti-dumping charges over the chemical TDI supplied by United States, Japanese and South Korean companies for six months to November 22, 2003.

China launched 22 anti-dumping cases and one safeguard measure in 1997-2002.

They mainly involve iron, steel, chemical and light industries and have saved these sectors about 20 billion yuan (US$2.42 billion), according to published official statistics.

China has done more to protect fair trade by domestic and overseas firms since its entry to the World Trade Organization.

It established the Fair Trade Bureau for Import and Export under the former MOFTEC to co-ordinate responses to overseas anti-dumping and anti-subsidy charges and safeguard measures, to investigate foreign countries' trade barriers, and to review and accept domestic petitions for anti-dumping, anti-subsidy and safeguard measures.

In 2002, China started 10 cases involving total yearly sales of 59.2 billion yuan (US$7.15 billion). It also investigated 16 cases, made preliminary judgments in favor of domestic firms in 10 cases, passed one final judgment on anti-dumping tariffs, and withdrew from one case after finding no substantial harm from imports to domestic industries.

(China Daily May 21, 2001)