Geneva, Dec 6 (AFP) The world's trading nations reined in anti-dumping action in the first half of the year with a 29 percent drop in probes into cheap imports, World Trade Organization data showed today.

China continued to be the main country targeted by such investigations although the pace declined, while India was the top user of the anti-dumping system, according to the WTO data for the period between January and June 30, 2010.

The global trade body gave no reasons for the trend as the glopbal economy was recovering, although heightened anti-dumping action is often taken as a sign of greater protectionist pressures.

Nineteen WTO members launched 69 investigations into suspected dumping -- selling exported goods at below domestic production price -- compared to 97 during the same period a year earlier.