The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled on Friday that the
emergency tariffs imposed by the United States on steel imports
were in breach of WTO rules, said a Chinese official from the
Ministry of Commerce Saturday.
A
WTO panel of trade experts said in a report that the US safeguard
measures were inconsistent with WTO's global trade rules.
The WTO report will be passed by the WTO Appellate Body for trade
disputes if there is no appeal, according to the WTO's trade
dispute settlement rules.
In
a joint statement released on Friday, the eight complainants in the
case -- the European Union (EU), China, Japan, South Korea,
Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand and Brazil -- welcomed the panel's
ruling and called upon the United States to "terminate its WTO
incompatible safeguard measures without delay."
If
the US government appeals the Panel's decision, the co-complainants
will continue to work together to ensure that the WTO Appellate
Body will confirm that the US steel duties violate global trade
rules, the joint statement said.
On
March 5, 2002, US President George W. Bush introduced the tariffs
of up to 30 percent emergency tariffs on 10 types of imported
steels in the name of protecting the ailing US steel industry.
From March to May 2002, the eight complainants in the case
challenged in the WTO against the US steel safeguard measures.
A
panel of trade experts was formed for the case, in which Canada,
Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey and
Venezuela are the third parties.
This is the first time that China has used the WTO's trade dispute
settlement rules to safeguard its international trade and the
legitimate rights and interests of its industry after the country's
entry into the WTO in 2001.
(Xinhua News Agency July 12, 2003)