US' continual violation of WTO trade rules undermines rights, interests of all countries: China Daily editorial

The Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that China is taking US export control measures on chips and other products to the World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Mechanism. That's a justified response to the series of export control measures the United States has introduced.

Citing national security, the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security issued a set of rules in October, that, aside from requiring suppliers to Chinese entities to apply for licenses, impose a wide range of new and enhanced restrictions targeting China's advanced computing and semiconductor sectors by, among other things, adding certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment, advanced chips, and commodities containing such chips to the country's export control list.

Although the dispute settlement procedures might take years, China's filing of the case at the WTO is a necessary way to address its concerns through legal means and safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. Moreover, ensuring supply chain stability is not only in its own interests, but also in the interests of other countries.

In recent years, the US has constantly generalized the concept of national security, abused export control measures, obstructed the normal trade in chips and other products, threatened the stability of the global industry and supply chains, undermined the international economic and trade order, violated international economic and trade rules, and undermined the interests of global peace and development. These are typical trade protectionism practices.

Calling the WTO "ineffective", the US brazenly rebutted the panel reports the WTO issued on Friday in the cases brought by China, Norway, Switzerland and Turkiye saying they were "flawed" because the reports pointed out the additional tariffs the US started imposing on steel imports and imported aluminum products from March 2018 are not in conformity with its obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.

As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a video dialogue with his counterpart of the Republic of Korea on Monday, the US' CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and its disrespect to the WTO's arbitraments all point to the fact that the US feels no qualms about violating WTO rules and undermining the legitimate rights and interests of all countries.

This proves once again that the US is a destroyer of international rules, not a builder. All countries should stand up to reject such an outdated anti-globalization mentality and unilateral bullying and jointly uphold and practice genuine multilateralism.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce urged the US to abandon its zero-sum mentality, correct its wrong practices in a timely manner, stop disrupting trade in chips and other high-tech products, maintain normal economic and trade exchanges with China, and ensure the stability of global industry and supply chains for chips and other important industries. But that appeal is likely nothing more than pearls cast before swine.