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WTO Rules Against U.S.

In 2004, China and the United States stopped importing poultry products from each other because of bird flu fears. China called off its ban on U.S. poultry imports when the H1N1 bird flu alert was cancelled but the U.S. did not end its ban on Chinese poultry product imports. At the request of China, a WTO panel was established to investigate the case. That panel has announced the results of its study and issued a final ruling that U.S. restrictions on Chinese poultry imports are inconsistent with WTO regulations.

An unnamed official from China's Ministry of Commerce's Department of Treaty and Law says the U.S. ban on Chinese poultry product imports has damaged China's poultry industry, undermining the interests and rights of Chinese enterprises. The Chinese Official says the ruling makes it clear the U.S.'s restrictive measures lack legal basis. China hopes the U.S. will scrap the ban.