China's Measures on Some U.S. Auto Imports Follow WTO Rules: Official

GENEVA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's recent measures to levy anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on the imports of some U.S. autos are consistent with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a Chinese official said here Thursday.

The measures were taken after China conducted open investigations in accordance with the WTO rules and upon petitions from domestic enterprises, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming told a press conference during the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference here.

The measures were not trade protection moves, Chen said, noting "we have to draw a clear line between trade protectionist measures and normal trade measures."

If there is different opinion, he added, the best solution is to invite the experts from the WTO to judge and China would respect the WTO rules and its final verdict on this case.

According to statistics from the WTO, China saw a 50-percent decrease in its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures in 2011 compared with the previous year, while some WTO economies reported a 200-percent increase in such trade remedies and the United States even registered a 400-percent rise, Chen said.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Wednesday that China will levy anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on sedans and sport-utility vehicles (SUV) with engines of 2.5 liters and above imported from the United States.

Investigations into the auto market showed that U.S. auto makers have received government subsidies and dumped their vehicles into the Chinese market, which has substantially harmed China's auto industry, said the ministry's spokesman Shen Danyang during a press conference.