By: LUKE PHILLIPS | Agence France Presse
DOHA, Nov 11 Japan said Sunday that Washington's insistence on imposing punitive "anti-dumping" duties on certain imports has left the United States isolated at a WTO ministerial meeting here.
"I am somewhat encouraged by the fact that most of the delegations, with one exception (the United States), talked about the importance of starting negotiations on anti-dumping measures," a senior Japanese official said.
World Trade Organization ministers are in the third day of a five-day conference here aimed at forging an agenda for a new cycle of trade liberalization talks -- where Japan wants the anti-dumping issue to be prominent. But the United States refused Saturday to lay down its anti-dumping weapon in the interests of expanding global trade.
Repeated US anti-dumping reprisals against imports it deems to be excessively cheap or harmful to its industry have unleashed a furious reaction overseas, particularly Japanese steel makers.
But the US public is deeply sceptical about the value of trade liberalization and US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick has said he risks losing its support if the WTO restricted the use of anti-dumping measures and countervailing duties for subsidised imports seen to harm US companies.
The Japanese official noted that the United States itself had suffered from anti-dumping actions imposed by its trading partners.
"Between 1990-2000, anti-dumping cases have tripled. China is the number one target, with 341, but the number two target is the United States" with 195 in that period, he told a press briefing.
"The point is that American exports are also becoming victims of anti-dumping practices (and) procedures by ... countries which are often developing countries.
"So we have been talking with our friends in the United States. It has become even more important that we try to improve and seek more clarification about anti-dumping procedures," he said.
The official also snapped back at a blistering attack last month by Zoellick, who accused Tokyo of taking a narrow-minded, damaging approach to the WTO meeting.
Many Japanese people felt the remarks were "somewhat disturbing ... and not representative of the American government or American people," he said.
"If anybody should think Japan is not showing leadership ... because it is taking a different position in any area of negotiations, say, in agriculture, dumping or any other issue, I don't think that makes sense."
Zoellick "attaches more importance to the question of dumping practices, unfair practices, rather than talking about anti-dumping measures," he maintained.
The official said Washington's use of the anti-dumping weapon against what it deems to be unfairly priced steel imports reflects "strong domestic pressure within the United States."
"I saw Congressman Levin in the elevator of my hotel this morning. Whenever I see him, I think of automobiles and steel. There's definitely a pressure there," he noted.
Sander Levin, a Michigan Democratic Congressman, has advocated applying punitive measures on foreign countries judged to have violated US trade rules, especially Japan.
A draft WTO declaration for the meeting here, which ends Tuesday, calls for "clarifying and improving disciplines" in the use of anti-dumping measures.
But US officials prefer that the issue were not on the table here at all.By: LUKE PHILLIPS:
