Trade Cases
China Calls U.S. Protectionist and Threatens WTO Suit
Written by Sandy Williams
June 28, 2016
China is threatening to file a suit at the World Trade Organization against the U.S. following the latest duty assessments against imports of cold-rolled and corrosion resistant steel products from China.
The Commerce Ministry said it is deeply concerned about the protectionist policies of the U.S. steel industry and fears the large anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties would force Chinese companies to pull these type of steel products out of the U.S. market.
“China’s steel industry export interests will suffer a serious impact and the Chinese steel industry is strongly opposed to this,” the Ministry said in a statement posted to its website.
“With regard to the United States’ mistaken methods that violate WTO rules, China is and will continue to take all measures, including filing suit at the WTO, to strive for fair treatment for enterprises and safeguard their export interests,” it said.
The Ministry of Commerce said in its statement on Tuesday, the United States should be more prudent in using trade remedy measures in the steel sector, as it hurts the interests of companies in both the United States and other countries.
In the long haul, the U.S. protectionist measures will also make its own steel industry less competitive, and thus may hurt its economy, the statement warned.
In a website statement the Ministry of Commerce said, “The difficulties challenging the global steel industry result from the weak demands because of the international financial crisis. This is a common consensus reached by many countries in the world. Fiercer and fiercer trade protectionism can only aggravate frictions and conflicts, but help little to solve the problem.”
Sandy Williams
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