欧美就中国原材料出口向WTO提起诉讼

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After more than two years of talk, the US is taking its trade case against China to the World Trade Organization. US Trade Representative, Ron Kirk.

 "So after more than two years of urging China to lift these unfair restrictions with no result, we are filing at the WTO today."

 At a news conference in Washington DC, Kirk said the United States is launching a case against China over its export restrictions on raw materials.

"We are most troubled that this appears to be a conscious policy to create unfair preferences for Chinese industries."

In Brussels, the European Union said it was joining the United States in the action which follows[ed] failure to persuade China to reduce its export tariffs [and] raise quotas on materials like zinc and tin. Kirk said the US was treading softly by formally requesting consultations with Beijing, the first step in the case. If those talks fail, the next step would be to request that the WTO panel hear the complaint, a step that can take years.

"It is very much our hope that we will not have to proceed to the next stage which is requesting a WTO panel to examine this matter. This is not a step that we have taken lightly but we are taking it deliberately."

But taking action at the WTO could further damage already brittle trade relations with China. Lyle Vander Schaaf is a trade attorney with Bryan Cave.

"It has to be pretty careful with China now because of the economic situation that we’re in. However, the United States can’t stop protecting its industries. It can’t stop protecting its rights. This is not a very high-level confrontational issue. This is something that’s been on the table for a while."

Western governments say resource-hungry China has continued to restrict exports of raw materials used in steel, semiconductors, aircraft and other products despite Beijing’s pledge to eliminate taxes and charges on exports when it joined the WTO in 2001.  

Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.

Glossary [only for reference]

US Trade Representative: the head of the office holds the title of United States Trade Representative (USTR), which is a Cabinet-level position (though not technically within the Cabinet). The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States trade policy to the President of the United States, conducting trade negotiations at bilateral and multilateral levels, and coordinating trade policy within the government through the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) and Trade Policy Review Group (TPRG).

file [intransitive]: law to give a document to a court or other organization so that it can be officially recorded and dealt with

launch [transitive]: start somethingto start something, usually something big or important

export restriction: or a restriction on exportation, are limitations on the quantity of goods exported to a specific country or countries by a government.

raw material: something that is acted upon or used by or by human labor or industry, for use as a building material to create some product or structure.

troubled: worried or anxious

preference [uncountable and countable]: a practical advantage given to one over others

tariff [countable]: a tax on goods coming into a country or going out of a country

quota [countable]: an official limit on the number or amount of something that is allowed in a particular period

tread softly [=tread carefully/warily/cautiously etc]: to be very careful about what you say or do in a difficult situation

consultation [uncountable and countable]: a discussion in which people who are affected by or involved in something can give their opinions

take something lightly: to do something without serious thought

brittle: a situation, relationship, or feeling that is brittle is easily damaged or destroyed

Bryan Cave [LLP]: an international law firm with twenty-five offices worldwide, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It specializes in corporate transactions and litigation representation.

confrontational: likely to cause arguments or make people angry

on the table: an offer, idea etc that is on the table has been officially suggested and someone is considering it

resource-hungry: wanting resource very much

semiconductor [countable]: a substance, such as silicon, that allows some electric currents to pass through it, and is used in electronic equipment