Another official agency in charge of calculating the extent of injuries caused by the illegal dumping of imported products was approved Tuesday by the central government.

The Bureau of Industry Injury Investigation under the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC) is authorized to calculate the extent of injuries to the domestic industry when a foreign company exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges in its home market.

Co-operating with the agency, the Bureau of Fair Trade for Import and Export, which was recently established under the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC), is responsible for investigating foreign companies' dumping actions.

SETC officials said establishment of the agency was in compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations.

"The WTO allows countries to take action against dumping," said Wu Yan, director of the bureau under SETC. "The agency's efforts are aimed at protecting fair competition and safeguarding the state's economic security," Wu said.

SETC, MOFTEC and the General Administration of Customs are the three departments involved in anti-dumping efforts.

If SETC and MOFTEC find that a company's dumping action has directly hurt the domestic industry, they will rule that an anti-dumping tax be levied on the company. And the administration is responsible for collecting the tax.

According to Wu, his bureau will now direct much of its energy to helping draft anti-dumping laws.

"The WTO's regulations are a framework, and we must step up our efforts to set down more detailed regulations," Wu said.

The bureau is determined to play a larger role in industry injury investigation and arbitration, Wu said.

Wu said a publicity and training campaign also will be launched to raise the public awareness of anti-dumping legislation.

Those concerned can visit the website www.cacs.gov.cn to learn about various countries' anti-dumping policies, Wu said.

"We also can help Chinese exporting companies investigate whether their products are being dumped in foreign countries," Wu said.

SETC officials said anti-dumping accusations against Chinese exporters worldwide have become a huge barrier for the state's foreign trade.

(China Daily December 5, 2001)