RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/W/197
G/SCM/W/204
ORGANIZATION 28November 1995
(95-3788)
Original: English Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
Committee onSubsidies andCountervailing Measures
QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE NOTIFICATIONS PROVIDED
BYTHE GOVERNMENT OFJAMAICA1OFLAWS AND REGULATIONS
UNDER ARTICLES 18.5AND 32.6OFTHE AGREEMENTS
Thefollowing communication, dated 16November 1995, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofHong Kong.
_______________
1. Jamaica 'snotification contains theCustoms Duties (Dumping andSubsidies) Act1959, long
before thesigning oftheWTO Agreement inApril 1994. Jamaica 'snotification alsostates thatanew
Actiscurrently being drafted inorder toimplement theprovision oftheA-DAgreement indomestic
law. Apparently numerous provisions oftheWTO A-DAgreement arenotfeatured intheJamaican
legislation andsome Jamaican provisions maybeatoddswiththeWTO provisions.
Questions:
(a) What isthelegal status oftheWTO A-DAgreement inJamaica? Does ithavethe
force oflaw? Ifaprovision ofthedomestic legislation isinconflict with the
Agreement, which willtakeprecedence?
(b) AreJamaican A-Dofficials required, legally orotherwise, toabide bytheA-D
Agreement intheconduct ofA-Dproceedings, ortoconsult theA-DAgreement, for
example ontheinterpretation ofdomestic legislation?
(c) What istheintended purpose andcoverage ofthenewActbeing drafted? What is
thetimetableoftheenactment?
(d) HowwillJamaica ensure compliance withtheprovisions oftheWTO A-DAgreement
before itslawsarebrought intototalconformity withtheWTO A-DAgreement?
2. Question: What judicial review procedures hasJamaica putinplace inobservance of
itsobligations under Article 13oftheWTO A-DAgreement?
3. Question: What isJamaica 'spolicy andlawfortheimplementation ofWTO Panel
Reports?
1G/ADP/N/1/JAM/1-G/SCM/N/1/JAM/1.
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G/SCM/W/204
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4. Sections 12and26enable theMinister tomake Regulations fortheAct.
Question: Have anyRegulations beenmade under sections 12and26butnotyetnotified tothe
WTO Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices? Ifso,when dotheJamaican authorities
intend tonotify them totheCommittee inaccordance withtheir obligation under
Article 18.5oftheWTO A-DAgreement?
5. Section 11(1)(b) and(c)provides fortheadvalorem criteria fordetermination ofthecountry
inwhich goods areoriginated. Under paragraph (c),thecountry producing onlypartsandcomponents
might betaken asthecountry inwhich goods areoriginated. Section 3(2)(b)(i) defines dumping with
reference totheexport priceandthenomal value regarding thecountry inwhich goods areoriginated.
Questions:
(a) Suppose dumping hasbeenfound inrespect ofgoods produced incountry XandA-D
duties havebeenimposed. Andsuppose Country Ysourced parts andcomponents
fromCountry Xandproduced likeproducts. Under sections 11(1)(c) and3(2)(b)(i),
would itbepossible totreatlikeproducts produced inCountry Yasoriginating in
Country X?Ifyes,would itbepossible tosubject Country Ytothesame A-Dduties
asCountry Xwithout full-fledged investigations pursuant toprocedures prescribed
intheWTO A-DAgreement ontheexport priceandthenomal value regarding Country
Yandproof ofdumping, injury andcausal link?
(b) Alsousing theexample in(a)above, would itbepossible, according totheActand
inparticular thearticles referred toabove, toextend duties ontheproduct inquestion
toitsparts andcomponents imported intoJamaica alsofrom Country Xwithout
full-fledgedinvestigationspursuanttoproceduresprescribedintheWTOA-DAgreement
ondumping, injury andcausality inrespect ofthepartsandcomponents themselves?
(c) Iftheanswer tothesecond question of(a)and/or thequestion at(b)areinthe
affirmative, howwould Jamaica reconcile sections 11(1)(c) and3(2)(b)(i) withits
obligations under theWTO A-DAgreement particularly inthelightoftheconcept
of"likeproduct" inArticle 2.6? Does Jamaica anticipate amendment inthelightof
itsobligations under theWTO A-DAgreement?
6. Article 3(2)(b) defines dumping when thecountry oforigin andcountry ofexport oftheimports
concerned aredifferent. ThatArticle further provides thatdumping could bedetermined onthebasis
oftheexport priceandfairmarket priceofeither thecountry oforigin orcountry ofexport. Article 2.5
oftheWTO A-DAgreement provides guidance forsuchsituations. Specifically, itprovides thatdata
ofexport country should normally beusedwhen finding dumping andgivesexamples inwhich departure
fromsuchpractice might bejustified (such asmere transhipment). Article 3(2)(b) orelsewhere inthe
Acthowever appears nottohavespecified theconditions under which which setofdatashould be
usedandthereby seems tohavegiven thediscretion totheinvestigating authorities. Howcould Jamaica
ensure thattheirobligations under Article 2.5oftheAgreement arefulfilled?