China Blocks US Request for WTO Panel in Dispute Over Agricultural TRQs
China on Aug. 31 blocked a U.S. request at the World Trade Organization for a dispute panel to examine China’s tariff-rate quotas for rice, wheat and corn, according to a Geneva trade official. February dispute consultations failed to resolve U.S.…
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concerns. The U.S. requested consultations in December, the first step of the WTO dispute settlement process, claiming that China filled only about half of the total value of its listed quotas for the commodities (see 1612150028). At the WTO, the U.S. is charging that China doesn’t administer the TRQs in a transparent, fair or predictable basis, and that China doesn’t use clear procedures and requirements “that would not inhibit the filling of each TRQ,” the official said. The U.S. can again request a dispute panel during the next WTO Dispute Settlement Body meeting on Sept. 29, at which point the panel could be blocked only if all members in attendance agree not to establish one.