China Blasts US Ban on Its Poultry

CHINA - China on Thursday blasted a US measure blocking Chinese poultry imports, saying the "clearly discriminative measure" can serve as a good example for the World Trade Organisation's training courses.
calendar icon 13 March 2009
clock icon 3 minute read

A chicken is seen at a poultry market in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in this 27 January 2009 file photo (from agencies). China on Thursday blasted a US measure blocking Chinese poultry imports, saying the "clearly discriminative measure" can serve as a good example for the WTO's training courses. (Photo: China Daily)

The US measure, or Section 727, is contained in the Omnibus Appropriation Act of 2009, which was approved by the US Senate on Tuesday. It bans any funds from being used to "establish or implement a rule" allowing imports of poultry products from China.

"It is needless to explain why such discriminative measure are forbidden by the WTO," said Zhang Xiangchen, deputy permanent representative of the Chinese WTO mission.

"Perhaps we could send to the Institute of Training and Technical Cooperation of the WTO Secretariat a copy of this section, which would serve as a perfect example for their training courses," Mr Zhang told a WTO meeting in Geneva.

"I believe that any trainee with a preliminary knowledge will tell that this section violates the basic rules of the WTO including the MFN (most-favored-nation) treatment principle," he said.

In a strong-worded statement, Mr Zhang said he had got "a specific instruction from Beijing to express the serious concern of the Chinese government about the US Omnibus Appropriation Act of 2009."

"What should we, all WTO members, do to prevent such discriminative practice from undermining the multilateral trading system and sending the wrong signal to the outside world at this critical juncture of global crisis?" said Mr Zhang at the meeting.

"How should we live up to our commitments repeatedly made both here at the WTO and at the G20 summit to resist trade protectionism?" he added.

On Wednesday, the Chinese WTO mission in Geneva also sent a verbal note to its US counterpart.

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