India Mulls Anti-Dumping Duty On Chinese Toughened Glass

India is considering a five-year anti-dumping duty against import of toughened glass for home appliances from China to protect local manufacturers, potentially affecting companies like LG Corp. and Samsung Electronics. The quantum of levy recommended by the Directorate General for Trade Remedies is the lesser of the margin of dumping and the margin of injury to the domestic industry, according to a notification on Monday.
The DGTR, in its investigation that began in September 2022, found evidence of dumping and injury to the domestic industry and suggested a definitive anti-dumping duty. The probe was initiated following a complaint by the Federation of Safety Glass, an association of safety and specialty glass processors. The DGTR notified appliance makers including LG, Samsung, Whirlpool and others who import toughened glass.

The authority is of the considered view that the imposition of anti-dumping duties would serve the larger public interest by protecting the domestic producers, all of whom are in the MSME sector, from unfair competition by way of injurious dumped imports from China.
This is particular to toughened glass for home appliances having thickness between 1.8 millimetres to 8 mm and an area of 0.4 sqm or less coming from China. However, there will be a few items that will be excluded, such as toughened glass used in glass lids of utensils, in electronic switch and switchboard panels; curved coloured glass for washing machines; glass used in double glazed unit; dome shaped toughened glass and grooved toughened glass. The DGTR observed April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, as its period of investigation to determine the existence, degree and effect of the alleged dumping, and to recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty to offset the injury to domestic industry. The injury analysis period covers three years between April 2018 and March 2021 along with the period of investigation.

The authority said the anti-dumping duty was not just to assign an amount to redress the injury to the domestic industry, but remove the unfair advantages gained by dumping practices, prevent the decline in the performance of the domestic industry and maintain the availability of wider choice to the consumers. The investigation found evidence of increased volume of imports, signs of price undercutting, price depression for domestic players and domestic industry experiencing loss due to cheaper Chinese imports. With the DGTR's recommendations, the Ministry of Commerce would now consider this report. Any appeal on the matter will be routed to the Customs Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal.