China applied to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Tuesday to impose seven billion U.S. dollars' worth of annual sanctions on U.S. goods in retaliation for Washington's failure to comply with a ruling in a dispute over U.S. dumping duties.
It's the first time that China has asked for permission to take action against a country's non-compliance with a dispute ruling since joining the WTO in 2001.
The WTO ruled in October 2016 that the U.S. anti-dumping duties on 13 imported Chinese products including machinery, electronics, and light industry violated the body's trade rules.
The ruling was upheld in an appeal last May, and an WTO arbitrator called for U.S. compliance by August 22, 2018.
But the U.S. has not fully complied, a WTO document showed.
China will seek authorization at a special meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body on September 21.
