Chad Bown is keeping an eye on global trends in the use of trade remedies.

Compared to the same time period in 2008, the first quarter of 2009 saw an 18.8% increase in initiated investigations in which domestic industries request the imposition of new import restrictions under trade remedy laws. While the list of new investigations is dominated by India and Argentina, other G-20 members that also initiated at least one new investigation during the first quarter of 2009 include Australia, Canada, China, the European Union and its member states, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and the United States. China`s exporters were the dominant target for these new investigations that may result in import restrictions, facing over two thirds of the new investigations.