Philippine Government Exempts Japan Cold Sheet from Enforced Standards

Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI) ensured Japanese cold rolled sheet is exempted from enforced standards of cold rolled sheet introduced by Philippine government on April 1st. Philippine government confined the product coverage to Philippine Standards (PNS) except for high grade steel sheets such as high tensile sheets, and sheets according to Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) and sheets for particular industries such as automobiles, electric appliances, electronic devices and motorcycles. METI will require fair trade measures to Asian countries in cooperation with Japanese steel industry or user industry when Asian countries recently tend to force domestic standards.

Philippine government decided domestic standards of cold sheet in 2004, which hasn’t come into effect. METI appealed Japanese high grade products don’t need to be controlled by the new standards.

Asian countries are currently introducing enforced standards for steel products. Indonesia already carried out enforced standards about alumina-zinc coated sheet and hot rolled sheet, and announced the introduction of standards for cold rolled sheet to World Trade Organization (WTO). METI conveyed adverse effect of the standards for domestic industry to WTO.

India confined enforced standards only to hot dipped galvanizing sheet, which had set down 11 items at first. Asian countries aim to protect domestic industry from increasing import of common grade steel products from China.