NEWS
WTO TO SET UP A PANEL TO EXAMINE CHINA’S PUNITIVE TARIFFS ON AUSSIE WINES
By Siulan Law Mathews DipWSET
28-10-2021
Source: World Trade Organisation
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Tuesday that it will set up a panel to examine China's imposition of punitive duties on imported Australian wines.
In a behind closed door meeting on Tuesday, WTO agreed to Australia's second request for a panel to examine the issue after its first attempt was blocked by China in September.
Explaining the decision to seek a WTO panel, Australia's delegate voiced disappointment that China had not taken concrete steps to respond to its concerns, according to a summary of the meeting published by the WTO.
It was also said that Australia remained open to further discussions with China with a view to resolve the issues.
China’s delegate, however, insisted that their measures are legitimate and consistent with WTO rules.
"China regrets that Australia decided to further its panel request with regard to the dispute," China's delegate said in a statement to Reuters new agency.
"China will vigorously defend its legitimate measures in the following proceedings and is confident that its challenged measures are consistent with relevant WTO rules."
Australia’s relations with China, already turned sour after Australia banned Huawei from its 5G broadband network in 2018, have worsened since Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, first reported in Wuhan city in central China last year.
China, Australia's largest trading partner, responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities, including wine and barley and limited imports of Australian beef, coal and grapes.
China announced in March that duties of up to 218 percent on Australian bottled wines will be effective for five years.
Ironically, a WTO appeal could take up to five years to be resolved, this could mean that by the time the WTO comes up with a resolution on the matter, China’s punitive tariffs could have already expired.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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