GENEVA, Switzerland (Sept. 16, 2009)—China has petitioned the World Trade Organization to seek relief from the U.S.'s recent decision to impose higher tariffs on Chinese-sourced consumer tires.
The review process could take a year or longer, according to WTO documentation.
In its petition, China argues that the U.S.'s action is inconsistent with provisions of the Generalized Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) 1994—to which both the U.S. and China are signatories—because the U.S. “does not accord the same treatment it grants to passenger and light truck tires originating in other countries to the like products originating in China.”
The WTO is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations, according to its mission statement. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters and importers conduct their business.