Chinese Law Prof Blog

US and EU bring WTO complaint against China

The US and the EU yesterday brought a formal complaint against China before the WTO, thus starting a 60-day consultation period at the end of which they can ask for formal dispute resolution proceedings before a WTO panel.

According to a report in the Financial Times,

The case aims at regulations intended to encourage Chinese carmakers to use domestic rather than imported car parts. The US and EU claim China is imposing unfair “local content’’ rules through a complex tariff system that raises the import tariffs from 10 per cent to 25 per cent if foreign parts make up more than a certain proportion of a car.

If you're a glutton for detail, here's an excerpt from a press release from the Office of the United States Trade Representative:

Under China’s regulations governing the importation of auto parts, all vehicle manufacturers in China that use imported parts must register with China customs and provide specific information about each vehicle it assembles, including a list of the imported and domestic parts to be used, and the value and supplier of each part. If the number or value of imported parts in the assembled vehicle exceed specified thresholds, the regulations assess each of the imported parts a charge equal to the tariff on complete automobiles (typically 28%) rather than the tariff applicable to auto parts (typically 10-14%).

The regulations appear designed to encourage manufacturers in China to increase the amount and value of Chinese parts they use in the assembly process – at the expense of parts from the United States and elsewhere. The regulations also provide an incentive for auto parts producers to relocate manufacturing facilities to China.

The United States maintains these regulations impose a tax on U.S. auto parts beyond that allowed by WTO rules, and result in discrimination against U.S. auto parts. As such, China appears to be acting inconsistently with several WTO provisions including Articles II and III of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 and Article 2 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures, as well as specific commitments made by China in its WTO accession agreement.

Job opening at UNHCHR in Geneva

The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights is seeking a program officer for China-related matters at its office in Geneva. The duration is stated as "initially one year," as they need a replacement for staff on special leave.

The application deadline is April 18, 2006. Here's the announcement: Download UNHCHR.pdf

USTR seeks chief counsel for China trade enforcement

Here's an interesting-looking position at the USTR: Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement. For the full announcement, click here. Note that the closing date is April 7th. The announcement was issued only on March 24th; it beats me how our government expects to get the best people available when it provides such a narrow window for learning about, and applying for, these jobs.

Follow-up to Chen Kaige parody story

Earlier this month I blogged about the controversy over the video parody of Chen Kaige's film "The Promise" (无极). Here's a story from today's Los Angeles Times with a bit more information.

Zhou Yezhong plagiarism case goes to court

Here's an update on the Zhou Yezhong plagiarism case, about which I previously blogged. The party alleging his work was plagiarized, Wang Tiancheng (王天成), brought suit (I don't know exactly what the legal claim is), and on March 15th his case was formally accepted for hearing (受理) by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Level People's Court. The first hearing is scheduled for May 10th.