WTO to examine China’s complaint over India solar, IT measures

GENEVA: The World Trade Organization said Tuesday it would examine a Chinese complaint over Indian measures that China claims impede its export of solar and information technology goods.

The WTO said that its Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) had agreed during a meeting to set up an expert panel to review China’s complaint.

Beijing asserts that certain subsidies granted to India’s solar sector as well as tariffs India imposes on products such as phones or equipment for manufacturing flatscreen display devices, violate international trade rules, according to its initial complaint filed late last year.

During Tuesday’s meeting, “China said that its concerns over India’s measures remain unresolved despite bilateral consultations”, the WTO said.

Beijing, which charged that the measures discriminated against Chinese imports, had last December requested consultations with India to iron out the dispute.

When that did not work, China first asked the WTO last month to establish a panel of experts, but the request was blocked by India.

The DSB granted the second request on Tuesday.

Under WTO regulations, parties in a dispute can block a first request for an arbitration panel, but if the parties make a second request, it is all but guaranteed to go through.