China files 3rd complaint against US at WTO over tariffs

03 Sep '19

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock

China has lodged a complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the United States over the latter’s import duties, the Chinese commerce ministry said recently. Without disclosing details of its legal case, the ministry said the latest US tariffs, which became effective on September 1, violated the consensus reached by leaders of both sides in Osaka.

The lawsuit is the third at the WTO by Beijing against the China-specific tariffs of the US. The United States recently published a written defence in the first of the three legal cases, asserting that bothe the countries agreed the issue should not be judged at the WTO.

"China has taken the unilateral decision to adopt aggressive industrial policy measures to steal or otherwise unfairly acquire the technology of its trading partners; the United States has adopted tariff measures to try to obtain the elimination of China's unfair and distortive technology-transfer policies," global newswires quoted the US side as saying.

The US submission also said its actions were exempt from WTO rules because they were ‘measures necessary to protect public morals, a clause used in the past to argue for trade restrictions over gambling, animal rights and public broadcasting.

Under WTO rules, Washington has 60 days to try to settle the latest dispute. Then China could ask the WTO to adjudicate, a process that would take several years. It could end with China gaining WTO approval to take trade sanctions, if the United States is found to have broken the rules. (DS)

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