Briefs
NEWSPRINT: The Mexican government imposed a provisional anti-dumping duty on newsprint from the US and Canada on 3 August. The anti-dumping duties vary between 5.5% and 18% according to the companies providing the newsprint. The Mexican paper industry complained in 2002 that Canadian and US papermakers were dumping newsprint on the Mexican market at prices that were below the cost of production. The economy ministry recognised that there was a case to answer in November 2003 after studying data for 2002. The lower anti-dumping duties are being levied on Bowater, Graphic Communications and other US companies. A 15.2% duty is being levied on paper from Abitibi and 18% on newsprint from Bowater Canada, Norske Skog and other Canadian providers of newsprint. The companies singled out for the measure have 30 working days to respond before the duties will start to be levied.
CHILE: Just as Chile was hailing its free-trade agreement with Mexico, signed in 1999, as one of its most successful, apple growers in Mexico demanded that the government take action against competition from Chile. At the beginning of August apple growers in Chihuahua appealed to President Vicente Fox, who was on a visit to the state, to take action against what they said was the virtual dumping of Chilean apples on the Mexican market. The Chihuahuan growers claim that Chile is exporting apples at prices below what it costs them to get their apples to their local markets. The apple growers claim that Chilean exporters are able to lower their costs by understating, for customs purposes, the value of their shipments. The Mexican growers claim that each box of apples should have a customs value of between US$6 and US$7. Overall trade between Mexico and Chile has grown by 35% since 1999. Mexico is now Chile's sixth biggest export market and the biggest in Latin America, worth US$921m a year.
GAS: Tidelands Oil & Gas, a US company, announced that it was building two new gas pipelines to take fuel from Texas to Mexico. Currently Mexico imports about 30% of the gas it uses from the US. The new trans-border pipelines will link US and Mexican networks at Progreso and Mission. Tidelands currently operates one trans-border gas pipeline. Currently seven trans-border gas pipelines link the Texas network with the Mexican network. There are also two trans-border links in both Arizona and California.
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