WTO panel to probe EU anti-dumping measures on Chinese fasteners

The World Trade Organization (WTO) on October 23 decided to set up an expert panel to investigate the EU's anti-dumping measures against China-made fasteners.

On October 12 the Chinese government requested the WTO to establish an expert panel to investigate whether the EU's anti-dumping measures on imported fasteners from China violate trade rules.

China initiated the WTO case on July 31, saying anti-dumping measures taken by the EU against the import of Chinese iron or steel fasteners violate WTO trade regulations.

An official at the Department of Treaty and Law of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said that the EU's measures had severely violated WTO rules and that China wished the EU to end its measures that were inconsistent with WTO rules, obstructing China-EU trade and hurting enterprises of both sides.

The European Commission initiated an anti-dumping probe into Chinese-made screws and bolts in November 2007 and decided to impose an anti-dumping duty of 87 percent for 5 years at the beginning of this year, opening a new front of trade friction with China.

By People's Daily Online