The U.S. government's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese tires is "a cause of concern", said Alejandro Jara, deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on Saturday at the ongoing 2009 Summer Davos in northeast China's port city of Dalian.

"I think this is a cause of concern," he told Xinhua on the sideline of the summit, adding that he was not sure whether this would solve the problem the U.S. petitioners has sought to solve.

"It's obviously a measure that does not help recovery and does not help increase world trade," he said.

Jara said this was a measure of protection, but he refused to comment on the move's legality and legitimacy.

"WTO has the dispute settlement mechanism that can settle the issue," he said.

Source: Xinhua