China Calls for Fair Competition, Transparency at WTO Amid Subsidies Debate
China's Position on Subsidies and Fair Competition at the WTO
China's Support for Fair Competition and Policy Transparency
BEIJING, June 4 (Reuters) - China supports discussions on fair competition, including restricting industrial subsidies that distort market competition and enhancing policy transparency, Li Chenggang, China's vice commerce minister and international trade representative, said.
Key Discussions at the WTO Meeting
Remarks by Li Chenggang
• Li made the remarks on Wednesday at a World Trade Organization meeting in Paris attended by representatives from over 20 economies including the U.S. and EU, a Chinese statement said on Thursday.
OECD Report on Global Subsidies
• An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report this week said government subsidies to industry had reached their highest level since the global financial crisis, driven largely by China.
China's Response to the OECD Report
• China's commerce ministry earlier on Thursday rejected the report, saying its policies on industrial subsidies "strictly comply" with WTO rules.
China's Calls for WTO Reform and Multilateral Consensus
Advancing Plurilateral Initiatives
• At the meeting, Li called for more flexible and inclusive decision-making to advance plurilateral initiatives within the WTO's multilateral framework.
Moratorium on Customs Duties for Electronic Transmissions
• China supports reaching a multilateral consensus as soon as possible on extending the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions, he told the meeting.
Side Meetings and International Reactions
Li's Meetings with International Trade Officials
• On the sidelines, Li met trade officials from the EU, UK, and Switzerland, among others, the commerce ministry statement added without providing further details.
European Commission's Stance on Trade with China
• Last week, the European Commission called its trade and investment relationship with China unsustainable, as the bloc seeks ways to shield European industries from surging Chinese imports.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Shi Bu and Liz Lee; Editing by Joe Bavier)
