WTO supports China complaints about US ‘dumping’ tariffs

October 22, 2016

BEIJING - The World Trade Organisation has sided with China in a key dispute with the U.S. over how Washington calculates anti-dumping duties it imposes on certain Chinese products. China's victory, announced Wednesday, settled a complaint that Beijing filed against the U.S. in 2013 over tariffs on imported Chinese goods, including high-pressure gas cylinders made of steel, and pipes manufactured for the oil industry.

Chinese exports covered by the ruling have a combined market value of US$8.4 billion a year, according to a statement posted on the Chinese Commerce Ministry's website.

China "welcomed" the ruling, urging the U.S. to "respect the WTO's assessment, correct the misuse of anti-dumping measures as soon as possible, and offer a fair-competition environment for Chinese companies", the Ministry said.

The Ministry said China agreed with the WTO's decision that certain U.S. measures, such as a calculation method called "zeroing", violated global trade rules.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), which defended the tariff system against the Chinese complaint, responded to the WTO decision by saying the U.S. will continue "to impose anti-dumping duties to address injurious dumping". www.webershandwick.cn (ATI).