WTO authorizes China to slap $3.579b in compensatory sanctions against US

A World Trade Organization panel said on Friday that China can impose tariffs on US imports worth $3.579 billion annually for the US failure to abide by anti-dumping rules with regard to Chinese products.

The Geneva-based trade group said China requested WTO's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) authorization to suspend concessions or other obligations to the United States with respect to trade in goods in the amount of $7.043 billion, arguing that this was equivalent to the level of nullification or impairment caused by the US's failure to implement the DSB recommendations and rulings concerning certain methodologies used by the United States in anti-dumping proceedings involving China.

As a basis for its request, China included a total of 25 different products from China subject to anti-dumping duties calculated by the United States using the methodologies found to be inconsistent in the original proceedings, the WTO said in a statement on Friday.

"The Arbitrator determined that the level of nullification or impairment was $3.579 billion," the statement said. "China may request authorization from the DSB to suspend concessions or other obligations at a level not exceeding $3.579 billion annually."