CHINA SEEKS $7B IN SANCTIONS ON U.S. China told the World Trade Organization
on Tuesday it wanted to impose US$7 billion a year in sanctions on the U.S. in retaliation for Washington’s non-compliance with a ruling in a dispute over U.S. dumping duties. The request for authorization from the WTO is likely to lead to years of legal wrangling over the case. China initiated the dispute in 2013, complaining about U.S. dumping duties on several industries including machinery and electronics, light industry, metals and minerals, with an annual export value of up to US$8.4 billion at the time. China’s request for authorization, published by the WTO, said the latest available data showed it had suffered US$7.043 billion in damages annually, and therefore it requested permission to raise trade barriers on U.S. goods to the same amount. China won a WTO ruling in the dispute in 2016, and that judgment was confirmed by an appeal last year.