RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/DS1/1
13January 1995
ORGANIZATION
(95-0037)
Original: English
MALAYSIA -PROHIBITION OFIMPORTS OF
POLYETHYLENE AND POLYPROPYLENE
Request forConsultations under Article XXIII:1 oftheGATT 1994 bySingapore
Thefollowing communication, dated 10January 19951,sentbythePermanent Representative
oftheRepublic ofSingapore totheUnited Nations, tothePermanent Representative ofthePermanent
Mission ofMalaysia totheUnited Nations inGeneva, iscirculated inaccordance with Article 4.4of
theUnderstanding onRules andProcedures Governing theSettlement ofDisputes.
_______________
Pursuant toparagraph 1ofArticle XXIII ofthe1994 General Agreement onTariffs andTrade
(GATT) andArticle 4oftheWorld Trade Organization (WTO) Understanding onRules andProcedures
GoverningtheSettlementofDisputes(DSU),theGovernmentofSingaporerequeststhattheGovernment
ofMalaysia enter into consultations regarding theprohibition ofimports ofpolyethylene (HS.
3901.10 000and3901.20 000) ("PE") andpolypropylene (3902.10 300and3902.30 000) ("PP")
instituted andmaintained bytheMalaysian Government under theCustoms (Prohibition ofImports)
(Amendments) (No.5) Order 1994 dated 16March 1994.
TheGovernment ofSingapore isrequesting consultations pursuant toArticle XXIII:1 because
itsbenefits under theAgreement arebeing nullified andimpaired asaresult oftheinstitution and
maintenance oftheimport prohibitions inviolation oftheMalaysian Government 'sobligations under,
inter alia: (1)Article XIoftheGATT 1994; (2)Article XoftheGATT 1994; (3)Article 3of
theWTO Agreement onImport Licensing Procedures; and(4)thenotification requirements under
paragraph 3ofthe1979 Understanding Regarding Notification, Consultation, Dispute Settlement and
Surveillance (L/4907) aswell asparagraph 1oftheWTO Decision onNotification Procedures.
AstheGovernment ofMalaysia isaware, theGovernment ofSingapore has, since 1991,
expressed itsdeep concern over theMalaysian Government 'srestrictive trade policies regarding the
import ofplastic resins. These policies areofparticular concern since, upuntil therecent imposition
oftheimport prohibitions, Singaporean producers exported asignificant volume ofplastic resins to
Malaysia.Unfortunately,theseapproacheshavenotresultedinaremovaloftheMalaysianGovernment's
trade restrictions. Instead, theMalaysian Government hasformalised itsrestrictive policies through
therecent imposition ofimport prohibitions onPEandPPinviolation ofitsobligations under GATT
1994 andtheAgreement Establishing theWTO.
1Acorrigendum dated 12January 1995 was received toamend theinitial request forconsultations. The changes are
incorporated into thepresent document.
. /.WT/DS1/1
Page 2
Inlight ofthefailure ofthese previous approaches, theGovernment ofSingapore wishes, in
accordance with Article XXIII:1, toenter intoconsultations with aview tothesatisfactory resolution
ofthismatter. Inaccordance with Article XXIII:1 andparagraph 3ofArticle 4oftheDSU, the
Government ofSingapore requests thattheMalaysian Government give sympathetic consideration to
itsrequest andpromptly agree toenter intogood faith consultations within 30days ofthedateofthis
request. TheGovernment ofSingapore hopes thatthese consultations willleadtotheremoval ofthe
offending import prohibitions thereby avoiding thenecessity ofarequest fortheestablishment ofa
panel pursuant toArticle XXIII:2.