世
界贸易组织(WTO)裁定欧盟(European Union)对中国进口螺丝实行的反倾销关税非法，这是北京迄今为止在这家总部位于日内瓦的机构中获得的法律上的最大胜利。
法律专家说，此次胜利表明中国通过聘请顶级贸易律师和在世贸组织总部展开大力游说来应对进口关税的策略取得了积极效果。
上周五公布的这项内容长达394页的裁定也开创了先例，使得欧盟和美国在对发展中经济体如中国和越南实施反倾销关税时变得更加困难。
中国2001年时加入世贸组织。它向发达国家的出口随即大幅增加，致使在汇率、公共合约、西方企业的中国市场准入以及倾销指控等问题上出现了矛盾。倾销是指以低于成本的价格向国外出口。
欧盟和美国多次利用世贸组织允许被倾销国对倾销产品实施关税的规则，频频针对那些政府在经济中扮演重要角色的国家。
这引起了中国政府的不满。上周五在世贸组织公布上述裁决后，中国商务部在一份声明中抱怨中国在过去十年中受到了系统性的不公平待遇。
北京在2008年左右开始反击，当时它头一次成为陷入僵局的多哈回合贸易谈判中的重要参与者。大概在同时，它在距离世贸组织总部千里之外的地方启动了一项全新的计划。中国还开始高薪聘请经验丰富的贸易律师。一家国际贸易律师事务所常驻日内瓦的律师说，我们开始接他们的业务。
自那之后，中国对欧盟和美国对其出口品增加关税的做法提出了系统性的挑战。总部位于华盛顿的咨询机构WorldTradeLaw.net LLC的创始人莱斯特(Simon Lester)说，他们背负着多起针对他们的诉讼，同时对于挑战其他国家他们已是娴熟老练了。上周早些时候，中国对美国两年前对中国钢管、轮胎和布袋征收关税的方法论提出了上诉。
由于实施了进口税，欧盟2009年对中国螺丝和螺栓的进口额从2007年时的13.9亿美元降至5.557亿美元。
7月份时中国提起上诉，几个月后世贸组织予以了接受。
中国的主要观点是，欧盟在判定中国的螺丝成本时不公平地选取了印度和欧盟自身的螺丝生产成本来作为对比。由于中国被归为“非市场经济国家”，因此调查人员获准采取一种方式来判定在没有获得公共补贴的前提下一件产品的真实生产成本。
世贸组织上周五接受了中国的要求，认可了中国的观点，即中国低廉的生产成本是合法的，即便是在没有政府帮助的情况下。
中国在一份声明中对这一裁决表示了欢迎。它说世贸组织的裁决清楚表明，欧盟这一反倾销立法和实践是歧视性的，违反了世贸组织相关规则。欧盟发言人克兰西(John Clancy)说，这只是一项暂时性的结果，因为欧盟或是中国能决定是否提起上诉，意识到这一点很重要。因此现在推测这一裁决将产生何种影响还为时过早。不过欧盟官员们私下里说该裁决是一次重大挫败。
目前欧盟有六十天时间决定是否上诉。如果败诉，它将不得不修改这些关税，并调整它对倾销指控的调查方式。
John W. Miller
法律专家说，此次胜利表明中国通过聘请顶级贸易律师和在世贸组织总部展开大力游说来应对进口关税的策略取得了积极效果。
上周五公布的这项内容长达394页的裁定也开创了先例，使得欧盟和美国在对发展中经济体如中国和越南实施反倾销关税时变得更加困难。
中国2001年时加入世贸组织。它向发达国家的出口随即大幅增加，致使在汇率、公共合约、西方企业的中国市场准入以及倾销指控等问题上出现了矛盾。倾销是指以低于成本的价格向国外出口。
欧盟和美国多次利用世贸组织允许被倾销国对倾销产品实施关税的规则，频频针对那些政府在经济中扮演重要角色的国家。
这引起了中国政府的不满。上周五在世贸组织公布上述裁决后，中国商务部在一份声明中抱怨中国在过去十年中受到了系统性的不公平待遇。
北京在2008年左右开始反击，当时它头一次成为陷入僵局的多哈回合贸易谈判中的重要参与者。大概在同时，它在距离世贸组织总部千里之外的地方启动了一项全新的计划。中国还开始高薪聘请经验丰富的贸易律师。一家国际贸易律师事务所常驻日内瓦的律师说，我们开始接他们的业务。
自那之后，中国对欧盟和美国对其出口品增加关税的做法提出了系统性的挑战。总部位于华盛顿的咨询机构WorldTradeLaw.net LLC的创始人莱斯特(Simon Lester)说，他们背负着多起针对他们的诉讼，同时对于挑战其他国家他们已是娴熟老练了。上周早些时候，中国对美国两年前对中国钢管、轮胎和布袋征收关税的方法论提出了上诉。
由于实施了进口税，欧盟2009年对中国螺丝和螺栓的进口额从2007年时的13.9亿美元降至5.557亿美元。
7月份时中国提起上诉，几个月后世贸组织予以了接受。
中国的主要观点是，欧盟在判定中国的螺丝成本时不公平地选取了印度和欧盟自身的螺丝生产成本来作为对比。由于中国被归为“非市场经济国家”，因此调查人员获准采取一种方式来判定在没有获得公共补贴的前提下一件产品的真实生产成本。
世贸组织上周五接受了中国的要求，认可了中国的观点，即中国低廉的生产成本是合法的，即便是在没有政府帮助的情况下。
中国在一份声明中对这一裁决表示了欢迎。它说世贸组织的裁决清楚表明，欧盟这一反倾销立法和实践是歧视性的，违反了世贸组织相关规则。欧盟发言人克兰西(John Clancy)说，这只是一项暂时性的结果，因为欧盟或是中国能决定是否提起上诉，意识到这一点很重要。因此现在推测这一裁决将产生何种影响还为时过早。不过欧盟官员们私下里说该裁决是一次重大挫败。
目前欧盟有六十天时间决定是否上诉。如果败诉，它将不得不修改这些关税，并调整它对倾销指控的调查方式。
John W. Miller
The World Trade Organization condemned European Union antidumping tariffs on imports of Chinese screws, handing Beijing its biggest legal victory yet at the Geneva-based body.
Legal experts said the victory is a sign of the effectiveness of China's strategy of fighting import tariffs by hiring top-notch trade lawyers and lobbying heavily at WTO headquarters.
Friday's 394-page ruling could also set a precedent, making it harder for the EU and the U.S. to impose antidumping tariffs on developing economies like China and Vietnam.
China joined the WTO in 2001. Its exports to the rich world immediately soared, leading to tensions over currency values, public contracts, access to the Chinese market by Western companies and charges of 'dumping,' or exporting to a foreign country below cost.
The EU and the U.S. have made extensive use of WTO rules that allow countries to impose tariffs on dumped goods, frequently targeting countries where the state plays a large role in the economy.
That hasn't sat well with the Chinese government. In a statement released Friday following the ruling, Chinese Ministry of Commerce complained of systematic 'unfair treatments' over the last decade.
Beijing started putting up a fight around 2008, when it emerged as a key player for the first time, in the failed discussions on the Doha Round of trade talks. Around the same time, it inaugurated a brand-new mission, a football field away from WTO headquarters. China also started paying top dollar for expert trade lawyers. 'We started lining up for their business,' says a Geneva-based lawyer for an international trade law firm.
Since then, China has systematically challenged EU and U.S. tariff increases against its exports. 'They have a lot of complaints against them, and they've become adept at challenging other countries,' Simon Lester, founder of WorldTradeLaw.net LLC, a Washington-based consultancy.Earlier this week, China appealed the methodology used two years ago by the U.S. to impose tariffs on Chinese steel pipes, tires and cloth sacks.
Import duties helped cut EU imports of Chinese screws and fasteners to $555.7 million in 2009 from $1.39 billion in 2007.
In July, China appealed, and the WTO accepted a few months later.
China's main claim was that the EU unfairly used costs in India and the EU itself as comparisons when determining what the screws should have cost to make in China. Because China is classified as a 'non-market economy,' investigators are allowed to use a formula to determine what making the good should have cost without public aid.
On Friday, the WTO accepted the Chinese claim, accepting the Chinese argument that manufacturing in China is legitimately cheaper, even without help from the state.
In a statement, China welcomed the ruling. The WTO, it said, had made it 'clear that the EU's antidumping legislation and practice are discriminatory and inconsistent with WTO rules.''It is important to note that this is only an intermediary step because the EU or China can decide to appeal it. It is therefore too early to speculate on what kind of impact the ruling would have,' said John Clancy, an EU spokesman. Privately, EU officials said the ruling was a significant defeat.
The EU now has 60 days to appeal. If it loses, it will have to revise these tariffs, and make changes to the way it investigates allegations of dumping.
John W. Miller
Legal experts said the victory is a sign of the effectiveness of China's strategy of fighting import tariffs by hiring top-notch trade lawyers and lobbying heavily at WTO headquarters.
Friday's 394-page ruling could also set a precedent, making it harder for the EU and the U.S. to impose antidumping tariffs on developing economies like China and Vietnam.
China joined the WTO in 2001. Its exports to the rich world immediately soared, leading to tensions over currency values, public contracts, access to the Chinese market by Western companies and charges of 'dumping,' or exporting to a foreign country below cost.
The EU and the U.S. have made extensive use of WTO rules that allow countries to impose tariffs on dumped goods, frequently targeting countries where the state plays a large role in the economy.
That hasn't sat well with the Chinese government. In a statement released Friday following the ruling, Chinese Ministry of Commerce complained of systematic 'unfair treatments' over the last decade.
Beijing started putting up a fight around 2008, when it emerged as a key player for the first time, in the failed discussions on the Doha Round of trade talks. Around the same time, it inaugurated a brand-new mission, a football field away from WTO headquarters. China also started paying top dollar for expert trade lawyers. 'We started lining up for their business,' says a Geneva-based lawyer for an international trade law firm.
Since then, China has systematically challenged EU and U.S. tariff increases against its exports. 'They have a lot of complaints against them, and they've become adept at challenging other countries,' Simon Lester, founder of WorldTradeLaw.net LLC, a Washington-based consultancy.Earlier this week, China appealed the methodology used two years ago by the U.S. to impose tariffs on Chinese steel pipes, tires and cloth sacks.
Import duties helped cut EU imports of Chinese screws and fasteners to $555.7 million in 2009 from $1.39 billion in 2007.
In July, China appealed, and the WTO accepted a few months later.
China's main claim was that the EU unfairly used costs in India and the EU itself as comparisons when determining what the screws should have cost to make in China. Because China is classified as a 'non-market economy,' investigators are allowed to use a formula to determine what making the good should have cost without public aid.
On Friday, the WTO accepted the Chinese claim, accepting the Chinese argument that manufacturing in China is legitimately cheaper, even without help from the state.
In a statement, China welcomed the ruling. The WTO, it said, had made it 'clear that the EU's antidumping legislation and practice are discriminatory and inconsistent with WTO rules.''It is important to note that this is only an intermediary step because the EU or China can decide to appeal it. It is therefore too early to speculate on what kind of impact the ruling would have,' said John Clancy, an EU spokesman. Privately, EU officials said the ruling was a significant defeat.
The EU now has 60 days to appeal. If it loses, it will have to revise these tariffs, and make changes to the way it investigates allegations of dumping.
John W. Miller
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