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VI. TRADE DISPUTES AND CONSULTATIONS
(1) General Framework
1. Singapore hasnostatutory domestic procedures forconducting consultations ornegotiations
withtrading partners incaseoftradedisputes. Singapore 'sstated preference istorelyonamultilateral
approach based onastrengthened WTO dispute settlement mechanism.1
(2) Dispute Settlement under GATT 1994
(i) Complaints against Singapore
2. Singapore hasnever beeninvolved asadefendant inanydispute.
(ii) Complaints bySingapore
3. Singapore hasbeenacomplainant intwodisputes involving theEuropean Commission and
Malaysia.
4. SingaporerequestedconsultationswiththeEuropeanCommission(EC)ontheEC'santi-dumping
refund practices under Article 15.2oftheAnti-Dumping Agreement. Oneround ofconsultations took
place on29April 1994 andsupplementary written questions werealsosubmitted bySingapore tothe
EU. Theconsultations andresponses didnotprovide anysatisfactory resolution.
5. Singapore alsorequested consultations withMalaysia under Article XXIII oftheGATT 1994
regarding Malaysia 'simport prohibitions affecting polyethylene andpolypropylene.2Consultations
began inFebruary 1995. Atthemeeting oftheDispute Settlement Body (DSB) on29March 1995,
Singapore requested thatapanel beestablished attheDSB meeting toexamine Malaysia 'sImport
prohibitionsonpolyethyleneandpolypropylene.3Subsequently,Malaysiaagreedtomakeimportlicensing
automatic,4andon19July1995, Singapore withdrew itsrequest forWTO mediation.5
(iii) Third party interests
6. Singapore participated onceasathirdparty inatrade dispute, which tookplace between the
European Union andJapan ontheEuropean Union 'santi-circumvention action against imports ofparts
from Japan.6
1GATT (1992), p.151.
2WTO document WT/DS1/1, 13January 1995.
3WTO document WT/DS1/2, 17March 1995.
4WTO documents WT/DS1/3, 31March 1995 andG/LIC/N/2/MYS/1, 5April 1995.
5WTO document WT/DSB/M/6, 28August 1995.
6GATT documents L/6657 andBISD 37S/132.WT/TPR/S/14
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(3) Other Disputes
7. ASEANdoesnothaveaninstitutionalizeddisputesettlementmechanism.Singaporemayconduct
consultations onmutual tradeproblems withitsASEAN andASEAN-dialogue partners. TheASEAN
CommitteeonTradeandTourismisauthorizedtoreviewandsupervisetheimplementationofpreferential
trading agreements. Disputes maybereferred totheCommittee, which consults withtheparties
concerned toarrive atamutually acceptable solution. Amember Statemaytemporarily suspend the
application ofaconcession untilamutually satisfactory solution hasbeenreached. Other ASEAN
members mustbegiven 30dayspriornotification ofsuchaction being taken.7ASEAN isconsidering
establishing adispute settlement mechanism (DSM) tofacilitate thespeedy andamicable resolution
ofdisputes.
7GATT (1992), p.151.Singapore WT/TPR/S/14
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