Beijing, August 13: China may appeal a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) against its restrictions on the import of books, films, music and other media products from the US.
“China will conscientiously assess the ruling report of the expert panel and does not exclude the possibility of appealing on China’s points of concern,” China’s Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian said Thursday in a statement in Chinese issued on the Ministry’s website, Reuters reported.
The WTO ruled Wednesday that China’s current policy of restricting imports from US to state-run organizations broke the organization’s agreements.
“The channels for foreign publications, films and audio-visual products entering the Chinese market are extremely open,” the statement said.
The Ministry of Commerce said China “felt regret” that the WTO had upheld a US complaint about its restrictions, which Washington says hurts publishers, Hollywood and entertainment multinationals.
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk called the ruling a “significant victory.”
“These findings are an important step toward ensuring market access for legitimate US products in the Chinese market, as well as ensuring market access for US exporters and distributors of those products,” he said.
—–Agencies