The U.S. is seeking a formal WTO panel on a complaint filed June 23 alleging China improperly restricts exports to materials to help its own manufacturers. "We are going to the WTO today to enforce America's rights, so we can provide our country's manufacturers with a fair competitive environment," said Debbie Mesloh, a spokeswoman for the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
"We believe the restraints at issue in this dispute significantly distort the international market and provide preferential conditions for Chinese industries that use these raw materials," she added.
"Working together with the EU and Mexico, we tried to resolve this issue through consultations, but did not succeed. At this point, therefore, we need to move forward with the next step in the WTO dispute settlement process. We remain open to working with China to find a mutually agreeable solution to our concerns."
The materials at issue are: bauxite, coke, fluorspar, magnesium, manganese, silicon metal, silicon carbide, yellow phosphorus, and zinc, key inputs for numerous products in the steel, aluminum and chemical sectors across the globe.
The U.S.and the 27-nation EU filed the initial complaint at the WTO on June 23, and Mexico joined the consultations on August 21. The USTR said the EU and Mexico are joining the U.S. in requesting the establishment of a WTO dispute settlement panel on the matter.
In filing the complaint, U.S. officials said Chinese actions were part of a "troubling" industrial policy that aims to favor its own manufacturing sector. According to the complaint, China imposes quotas on exports of some materials and slaps export duties on several raw materials. Other restrictions come in the form of export procedures, including via certain charges that violate global trade rules, according to U.S. officials. American officials said China's WTO Accession Protocol also contains "broad commitments not to restrict the right to export goods."
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009
