Geneva: The ongoing trade war between Australia and China has taken a new turn with China counter-attacked, initiating World Trade Organization complaint against Australian dumping, subsidy duties on June 29, 2021, a day after Australia initiated WTO dispute complaint against Chinese wine duties.
China made a request to the WTO dispute consultations with Australia regarding anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures imposed by Australia on imports of wind towers, deep drawn stainless steel sinks and railway wheels from China. The request was circulated to WTO members on 29 June.
China claims the measures in question are inconsistent with various provisions under the WTO’s Anti-Dumping Agreement, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
The request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.
Earlier on June 28, 2021 it was Australia that had initiated WTO dispute complaint against Chinese wine duties and had requested WTO dispute consultations with China concerning anti-dumping and countervailing duty measures imposed by China on imports of bottled wine from Australia, and circulated the request to WTO members.
Australia had claimed the measures in question appeared to be inconsistent with various provisions under the WTO’s Anti-Dumping Agreement, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.
However even before that Australia had made a request regarding Chinese anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Australian barley to which the WTO members had agreed to the establishment of a new dispute panel at a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the WTO on May 28, 2021.
Also read: In the midst of fierce trade war between the two, Australia scores a brownie point over China at WTO
Earlier, China had last year imposed trade restrictions on Australian coal, wine, meat and barley, that have affected a dozen key Australian industries; and on May 6, 2021, China had “indefinitely” suspended economic dialogue with Australia, accusing it of having a “Cold War mindset”, after Australia had called for a probe into the origins of COVID-19 and banned Huawei from building its 5G network that had resulted in the trade between the two nations plummet 61% in 2020.
– global bihari bureau
