A first for a Canadian trade tribunal could mark a turning point in the wave of anti-dumping cases lodged against the world’s most populous country.

As the manufacturing power they are, Chinese companies often find themselves in anti-dumping and countervailing (illegal subsidy) cases around the world – with some estimates suggesting the Chinese are involved in four of every five.

While many of these cases are justified, some are little more than calculated moves by domestic manufacturers who’ve noticed a declining market share and need to turn the tide.

In Canada’s bifurcated trade remedy process, which involves both the Canadian Border Services Agency and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, questionable claims are supposedly weeded out; by the time a final determination is made, most would agree they are.

The problem, however, is that these cases usually take about seven months from start to finish.

And while that’s getting sorted out, foreign companies – many of which are SMEs – find themselves priced out of the market by the imposition of temporary duties, regardless of whether claims turn out to be unsubstantiated in the end.

But that might be changing. Click here to read more.

Source: iPolitics