International Trade Law News

The World Trade Organization (WTO) recently established a dispute settlement panel to review the U.S. challenge to Mexico's antidumping order on U.S. long-grain white rice. The panel, which will also review certain provisions of Mexico's Foreign Trade Act and its Federal Code of Civil Procedure, was established in response to a request by the United States after Mexico imposed antidumping duties on U.S. white long grain rice in June 2002.

In the WTO panel request, the United States identifies numerous apparent violations of Mexico's obligations under the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (Antidumping Agreement), the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement), and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994). These violations relate to various procedures and methodologies Mexican authorities used in the rice investigation, as well as to the requirements of the Mexican legislation.