Until China has fulfilled the european’s five criteria for market economy status, its exports to the european Union must be treated in a “non-standard” way. This methodology, for use in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations, should assess whether China’s costs and prices are market-based, so as to ensure a level playing field for european industry and defend european jobs.
However, the european Union must to find a way to do this in compliance with its international obligations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), and in particular China’s WTO Accession Protocol, which provides for changes in how China is to be treated after 11 December 2016. In a resolution passed by 546 votes to 28, with 77 abstentions, MEPs call on the european Commission to come forward with a proposal that strikes a balance between these needs.
Background and next steps
In a recent plenary debate on how to deal with Chinese imports after 11 December 2016, the european Commissioner told that the Commission is working on a new set of rules that will include a strong trade defence system and ensure compliance with WTO rules, and that it would debate this “before the summer recess”.