New Delhi, March 25 -- India has levied anti-dumping duties on five Chinese products that were being imported below market prices, raising suspicion of their being "dumped" here. These barriers should help protect Indian producers against potentially unfair competition from a country faced with low domestic demand, deflationary pressures and over-capacity.

Producers in China looking to export their surplus at throwaway prices is not a surprise. With demand at home insufficient to absorb what their factories churn out, it's sometimes found that selling the stuff below cost in overseas markets makes more financial sense than reducing output to levels that reverse the advantage conferred by economies of scale.

The latest set of duties cove...