WTO to Rule on US Tyre Tariffs

The World Trade Organisation will make a ruling on the complaint lodged by China last September over the US tariffs implemented on Chinese manufactured consumer tyres. A WTO spokesperson has confirmed a panel of experts who will decide upon the validity of China’s claim has already been established.

During a meeting of WTO member states on January 19, a Chinese diplomat stated that Beijing “deeply regretted” the US decision to implement the tariffs. “Since the US decision itself runs short of factual bases and breached US obligations under the WTO, China once again urges the US to promptly withdraw its measures,” the diplomat said.

According to experts quoted by China’s Xinhua news agency, the tariffs may cost China’s tyre industry as much as a billion dollars and 100,000 Chinese jobs.