China, U.S. Accuse Each Other of Violating WTO Commitments
07/13/2016 - China says it will fight a preliminary duty order on stainless sheet and strip, contending that the U.S. Commerce Department deliberately misinterpreted WTO rules, reports Xinhua, China’s official news agency.
Calling the order “unreasonable,” Chinese officials told the news agency that they’ll contest it through the WTO.
The Commerce Department on Tuesday ruled that Chinese producers of stainless sheet and strip were benefitting from government subsidies, giving them an unfair advantage over their American counterparts.
As a result, Commerce officials imposed preliminary countervailing duties of 57.3 percent and 193.1 percent. A final determination is due later this year.
The news agency said America’s “behavior is counter to a consensus reached by the commerce ministers of G20 members last weekend to avoid protectionism.”
U.S. officials, meanwhile, generally said the same thing about China on Wednesday, arguing that Chinese export duties on nine important raw materials, including graphite, violate its WTO commitments.
"These duties are China’s attempt to game the system so that raw materials are cheaper for their manufacturers and more expensive for ours," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement, according to the Reuters news service.
"This scheme is directly at odds with WTO commitments China has made, and, as we’ve shown time and again, we will hold them accountable to their commitments."
Reuters has more on that story here.
The Commerce Department on Tuesday ruled that Chinese producers of stainless sheet and strip were benefitting from government subsidies, giving them an unfair advantage over their American counterparts.
As a result, Commerce officials imposed preliminary countervailing duties of 57.3 percent and 193.1 percent. A final determination is due later this year.
The news agency said America’s “behavior is counter to a consensus reached by the commerce ministers of G20 members last weekend to avoid protectionism.”
U.S. officials, meanwhile, generally said the same thing about China on Wednesday, arguing that Chinese export duties on nine important raw materials, including graphite, violate its WTO commitments.
"These duties are China’s attempt to game the system so that raw materials are cheaper for their manufacturers and more expensive for ours," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement, according to the Reuters news service.
"This scheme is directly at odds with WTO commitments China has made, and, as we’ve shown time and again, we will hold them accountable to their commitments."
Reuters has more on that story here.
