China files WTO dispute against U.S. GPX bill

China filed a case against the United States Monday to the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on its amendment to the Tariff Act of 1930 (GPX bill), said China's permanent mission to the WTO.

China claimed the bill is inconsistent with the WTO rules on transparency and procedural justice, and requested consultations with United States.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed the bill in March. It is believed to clear the legal obstacles for the United States to impose punitive tariffs over "non-market economy countries."

Shen Danyang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on Dec. 19, 2011 in a tyre dispute that the U.S. Department of Commerce did not have legal authority to launch countervailing investigations against non-market economy countries.

However, the United States rapidly passed the GPX bill in less than three months and gave it an application retroactive period since Nov. 20, 2006, instead of correcting its wrongdoing in accordance with the verdict of the court, Shen said.

Shen said the dispute involves 24 types of products worth about 7.23 billion U.S. dollars.