Asean govt talks urged on China's dumping issue

The issue of China’s steel-dumping activities and the measures that will be taken to combat it were discussed at the four-day “2013 SEAISI Conference & Exhibition” convened by the Southeast Asia Iron and Steel Institute (SEAISI), which kicked off yesterday in Chon Buri. 

Pairoj Meetawee, acting director of the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand (ISIT) said the measures introduced at the forum were short-term ones and that the industry in each Asean country should encourage their governments to discuss the issue directly. The Asean region uses about 50 tonnes of steel per year and half of it is bought from China. He said this had prompted some Thai producers to lower their production capacity. 

Though the global demand for steel has dropped, the demand in Asean and Thailand is rising resulting in products from China, Middle East and Europe flooding the market, Federation of Thai Industries chairman Payungsak Chartsutipol said.