AfterDawn: News

WTO sides with U.S. in China trade dispute

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has handed a victory to the United States in a complaint made in 2007 against China over the its system for the import of American media products including music, movies, magazines, books and other products. The U.S. has maintained that China's imposed limitations have helped a large counterfeit market to flourish in the country.

The WTO ruling has ordered the Chinese government to ease up on the limitations on foreign films, music and print, but it did not make any ruling on Chinese censorship. According to the ruling, China was breaking international trade rules by blocking foreign-owned companies from acting as importers and wholesale providers of media products.



"China expresses regret that the panel did not reject the US complaint about the import and distribution of printed material, films and music," China's commerce ministry spokesman Yao Jian said in a statement. "China will carefully evaluate the panel's report and does not rule out appealing on issues of concern to the Chinese side."

The United States called the WTO ruling significant. The ruling also specifically stated that China's policy of preventing U.S. music download companies from offering their services to Chinese customers was breaking trade rules.

Written by: James Delahunty @ 13 Aug 2009 12:45

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• 5 comments

• scorpNZ

  Go China! tell the U.S & WTO where they can shove their ruling,i'd have more sympathy for the U.S if their trade import methods weren't stifling, when competition from outside gets thwarted by giving huge subsidies on piss poor performing internal industries,a few of the Euro countries ain't much better either in that regard.

  13.8.2009 14:04 #1

• pphoenix

  This was a forgone conclusion, the USA is the WTO and the IMF.

  13.8.2009 15:22 #2

• kyo28

  It's about time someone stood up to China's unfair trade policies. They set up their rules in such a manner to discourage the sale of legitimate foreign products and instead nurture and promote home-made counterfeit.
  
  Not long ago China stated its intentions to adapt import rules for high-tech products where foreign manufacturers will have to divulge the manufacturing process and trade-secrets in order to sell their products in China. Supposedly, this is to verify the 'safety' of those products but no doubt would such intel find its way rapidly to Chinese counterfeiting plants.
  
  I'm all in favor of China developing its economy, but not on the backs of R&D of foreign companies. Those companies invest money in research and it's only fair that the return for that investment goes to those companies and not low-life counterfeiters.

  14.8.2009 05:59 #3

• borhan9

  It is the Chinese government the US can not always tell other countries what to do. Freedom of media is a good thing but on a international level to some level it should be in the hands of the government unless its effecting their society in a really bad way.

  15.8.2009 21:33 #4

• eLeCTR0n

  surprise surprise.

  21.8.2009 15:41 #5