On October 18, 2018, China filed a request with the WTO to set up an expert group under the WTO dispute settlement framework regarding the US Section 232 measures on steel and aluminum. An official from Department of Treaty and Law of MOFCOM makes a statement about the case.
The Section 232 measures are trade protectionist practices in the name of “national security”, severely undermine the multilateral trading rules, and face opposition from many WTO members, including China. In accordance with the WTO rules, China has already been engaged in consultations with the US under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, only to find consultations unable to address China’s concerns. In order to uphold the authority of the multilateral trading system and the seriousness of the WTO rules, China has decided to join other relevant members to file the request with the WTO to establish a panel to deal with the Section 232 measures case. China hopes the panel can hear the case in an objective and fair manner so as to safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system.
