China, Switzerland, Norway Appoint Panel to Review US Tariffs

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, June 25, 2002

China, Switzerland, Norway Appoint Panel to Review US Tariffs

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday approved the second request from China, Switzerland and Norway for a panel to rule on the legality of the US steel tariffs.

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) on Monday approved the second request from China, Switzerland and Norway for a panel to rule on the legality of the US steel tariffs.

The three countries request a single panel to examine the complaints together with the complaints by the European Union (EU),Japan and Korea.

The panel was set up on June 3 in response to a complaint from the EU against the decision by U.S. President George W. Bush to raise tariffs on steel imports by up to 30 percent.

The U.S. says it needs the levies as protection against a floodof cheap imports. However, the other sides hold that the U.S. safeguard measures are in violation of the U.S. obligations under provisions of GATT and WTO rules.

Under WTO procedural rules, a panel is automatically established if a country or group of countries requests for a second time to the WTO dispute settlement body.

WTO officials said Brazil and New Zealand also want to join thecase, which would bring the number of complainants to eight, an unusually high number for WTO disputes.

According to WTO rules, the panel might take at least six months to rule on the legality of the U.S. steel tariffs. Each side could appeal the ruling, but a decision made by the WTO appellate body will be final.

US raises tariffs on several imported steel

The United States was at loggerheads with its key war allies Tuesday, May 5, after imposing tariffs of up to 30 per cent on steel imports, threatening a damaging trade dispute.

The Bush Administration said that it was justified in acting to protect the ailing US steel industry. Thirty-one American steel firms have gone bankrupt in the past four years. The industry blames the decline on the unchecked influx of cheap foreign steel.

European Union leaders vowed swift retaliation and gave warning that the global economy would suffer. Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, told President Bush before the announcement Tuesday that steps would have to be taken in response.>>details

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