Chinese duties on U.S. imports ‘inconsistent’ with WTO obligations, panel finds

News Snapshot:

A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel on Wednesday found that China had acted inconsistently with its WTO obligations by imposing additional duties on certain U.S. imports in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. The office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it was pleased with the WTO decision, adding that China had “illegally retaliated with sham ‘safeguard’ tariffs.” China’s Commerce Ministry said it had noted the WTO panel decision and demanded that the United States immediately lift tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum imports. The U.S. imposed a 25 per cent duty on steel imports and...