Products exported from South Africa were subject to two new antidumping measures that were implemented by other nations in the second half of 2008, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Thursday.

The organisation revealed that 138 new final antidumping measures had been implemented during 2008, while 208 new antidumping investigations were initiated in 2008, compared with 163 new antidumping investigations in 2007.

Products exported from China were the most frequent subject of new measures during the second half of 2008, accounting for 37 out of 81 new measures during this period, said the WTO.

A total of 34 new investigations had also been directed at China’s exports during the second half of the year.

The European Communities and Indonesia each had five new measures directed at its exports, while Korea’s exports were subject to four new measures, and India and the US with three measures each directed at its exports.

Exports from Canada, Russia, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and Vietnam were also subject to two new measures each, while Bangladesh, Belarus, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay were subject to one measure each.

Products in the chemicals sector accounted for 26 of the 81 new measures, followed by the base-metals sector with 13 measures, and the plastics and rubber sector and the pulp and paper sector with 11 new measures each.

The textiles sector was subject to ten new measures, while the machinery and electrical equipment sector had been subject to five new measures.

The chemicals sector had been the subject of 22 new investigations, while 43 new investigations were started in the base-metals sector.

Of the 43 reported initiations relating to the base-metals sector, 24 were reported by India, eight by the European Communities, three by Indonesia, two each by Australia and Colombia, and one each by Argentina, Canada, China and Mexico.