China has right to impose tariffs on US$645 million of US products, says WTO
- The World Trade Organization authorised Beijing to impose the compensatory tariffs against America following a decade-long case centred on alleged subsidies
- China went to the WTO in 2012 to challenge anti-subsidy tariffs the US imposed between 2008 and 2012 on 22 Chinese products from solar panels to steel wire
The World Trade Organization (WTO) authorised China on Wednesday to impose US$645 million of compensatory tariffs against the United States in a ruling likely to receive a cool reception in Washington.
China went to the WTO in 2012 to challenge anti-subsidy tariffs the United States imposed between 2008 and 2012, mainly during the term of US President Barack Obama, on 22 Chinese products ranging from solar panels to steel wire.
The decade-long case into alleged subsidies has centred on whether the United States could treat Chinese companies in which the government owns a majority stake as controlled by the state.
US officials have argued that China benefits from easier treatment at the WTO, while subsidising manufactured goods and dumping them on world markets.
