During a workshop in Asharqia Chamber, trade Treaties Agreements for the Establishment of the Principles of Justice in International Trade.
On Monday 12 November 2018, Asharqia Chamber, in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, organized a workshop on "National product protection using commercial processing tools."
It aims to educate exporters and producers from the Eastern Region of the issues of trade remedies, to expand their awareness of harmful practices in international trade, and to familiarize them with the requirements and procedures for submitting complaints related to commercial remedies.
General Manager of the Department of Trade Processes at the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Saif, said that trade remedies come with the following rules or agreements (anti-dumping, subsidies, countervailing measures, preventive protection measures).
This is one of the most important tools of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in pursuit of its objectives, in accordance with the principle of equity in international trade, which are legal instruments used by States to protect their economies when exposed to any harmful and unfair practices under the liberalization of world trade.
He stressed that they are all working to protect the domestic industries of the member countries of the World Trade Organization from damage or threat of damage as a result of unfair trade practices in international trade.
He pointed out that dumping is the export of a product to a member State of the World Trade Organization at an export price below the normal value of the similar product in the country of export within the normal course of trade; however, support is any direct or indirect financial contribution made by the Government of the State of origin or by any public body, resulting in the benefit of the recipients.
Alsaif said that the Safeguards Agreements are a mechanism guaranteed by the WTO Agreement to protect domestic industry from serious harm or threat because of unexpected developments that have led to a substantial increase in imports from all sources.
He pointed out that it is important for producers and exporters to realize the roles played by the General Administration of Commercial Remedies in the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, and when to resort to them.
Al-Saif spoke about the Department of Trade Remedies in the Ministry and its tasks, as it is concerned with raising awareness among local producers and exporters of trade processing agreements and following up issues from local industry against imports as well as cases against Saudi exports from other member countries, and the Kingdom's representation in trade remedies.
Al-Saif presented the stages of the Ministry's assistance to producers and exporters to respond to complaints of trade remedies, by saying that it begins to receive the letter of complaint from the General Administration of Commercial Processes, after which the process of communication with the concerned parties to request and analyze the necessary data, as well as direct contact with the complainant until all the necessary data.
For his part, the Ministry's trade remedies adviser, Hatem Abdel Moneim Ghanem, said that the investigation of the dumping and support cases begins when the complaint that is supported by local producers whose total production exceeds 50% of the total production of the producers who expressed their support or opposition to the complaint, and that producers who support demand do not represent less than 25% of the total production of the Gulf industry from the similar product.
In conclusion, the guest speaker was honored.
