China Welcomes WTO Decision on US Poultry Trade

CHINA - The Ministry of Commerce has welcomed the decision of the expert panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the US ban on Chinese poultry meat is against WTO rules.

30 September 2010

2 minute read

Asia

China welcomes the final ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) expert panel that the US ban on imports of Chinese poultry is inconsistent with WTO rules, said Yao Jian, spokesman of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

In a statement on the MOC web site reported by an official source, Mr Yao said Chinese poultry products were safe and called for the US to conduct fair assessments and tests on the meat.

China hoped the US would take further steps to eliminate policies that discriminated against Chinese poultry products and ensure fair play, Mr Yao said.

China had always maintained that WTO members should conscientiously abide by WTO rules and fight trade protectionism, he said.

The WTO said Wednesday that US restrictions on imports of Chinese chicken, turkey and duck break global commerce rules.

The US has banned poultry imports from China since 2007.

In July 2009, the WTO, at China's request, set up an expert panel to investigate whether the US ban was in line with WTO rules.