The head of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry of Commerce answers the reporter’s question on the report of the WTO expert group on the dispute between the United States and China for countermeasures against the U.S. steel and aluminum 232 tariff measures.
Q: We have noticed that recently, the WTO released the report of the expert panel on the dispute between the United States and China for countermeasures against the U.S. steel and aluminum 232 tariff measures. What are the opinions of China on this issue?
A: We have noticed the relevant report and are studying the content. We will handle the follow-up work in accordance with WTO rules.
What I want to stress is that the root of the dispute lies in the unilateralism and protectionism of the US. China’s countermeasures in accordance with the law is a legitimate move to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. Since March 2018, the United States has generalized national security and imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum products exported to the United States by many WTO members, including China. The measure caused widespread dissatisfaction, and China and many other members referred the United States to the WTO dispute settlement mechanism. In December 2022, the US measures had been ruled by the WTO as violating WTO rules. However, the United States insisted on going its own way, obstructing the entry into force of the expert panel’s ruling, evading its implementation obligations, and refusing to cancel the illegal tariff measures.
China demands that the United States immediately cancel the steel and aluminum 232 measures that violate WTO rules, and work with other WTO members to jointly maintain the rules-based multilateral trading system.
