The much awaited conclusion to the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Panel Report on China’s export policies for steelmaking materials was published on 5 July 2011 and found that aspects of the country’s export procedures are inconsistent with WTO rules.
The Panel has recommended that China bring its measures into conformity with its WTO obligations, while China has until 3 September to appeal against the WTO Panel Report’s findings.
The Panel Report, triggered by complaints filed by the EU, Mexico and the USA on 21 December 2009, concerns four types of export restraint that China imposes on certain mineral exports: export duties, export quotas, export licensing, and minimum export prices.
The raw materials in dispute include the industrial minerals of bauxite, fluorspar,...