The "unilateral nature" of U.S. "Section 301" is revived and now challenging the foundation of the rules-based multilateral trading system, a Chinese diplomat said Friday during a meeting of Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The diplomat delivered a statement outlining China's concerns regarding the U.S. Section 301 conclusions on China's alleged violations of intellectual property rights and proposed measures, including imposing additional tariffs on Chinese imports.
He recalled that since the enactment into law of Section 301 in 1974, a large number of WTO members, including the European Union, Japan, Canada, Korea, etc., have been subject to Section 301 investigations, and some were later forced to open their markets to the U.S. companies or became the target of retaliatory measures.
"23 years after the establishment of the WTO, Section 301 continues to serve as the tool of the U.S. to take unilateral actions against other WTO members," said the diplomat.
The United States on April 3 announced tariffs on a proposed list of Chinese goods worth 50 billion U.S. dollars, covering industries in aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics and machinery.
The list was authorized by the U.S. Trade Representative's office, which in August 2017 initiated an unfounded investigation under the Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 to probe China's intellectual property and technology transfer practices.
