Malaysia launches tinplate anti-dumping probe
Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) will start an investigation into alleged dumping of tinplate from China, India, Japan, and South Korea.
The investigation was launched following a petition from Malaysian tinplate producer Perusahaan Sadur Timah Malaysia (Perstima) Bhd, which alleged imports of electrolytic tinplate from the four countries were being sold in Malaysia at much lower than the domestic prices in those countries.
MITI will make a preliminary determination within 120 days. If the government decide action is required, they may impose a provisional import duty for the duration of the investigation.
China, South Korea, Japan, and India are the top four exporters of tinplate to Malaysia, with shipment tonnages from those countries increasing 41% from 2022 to 2023.
Malaysia is a relatively small but a growing market for tin consumption, with an estimated 3,600 tonnes of refined tin used in 2023, mainly for tinplate and solder.
This development follows similar investigations in other countries, most notably in the United States which investigated allegations of tinplate dumping against eight countries including China and South Korea.
The trend of increasing protectionism of domestic manufacturing appears to echo the trend of resource nationalisation on the supply side, and indicates a growing focus on greater domestic integration of the supply chain as seen in Indonesia.
