China and the WTO

Warwick Powell | 鲍韶山 ｜ CEO, Beefledger

As public debate takes place concerning Australia and China's trading relationships and issues, there's been some talk of pursuing disputes through the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This will, of course, take time.

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that the WTO's dispute resolution mechanisms have been kept alive on 'life support' due in no small part to the commitment of China and Australia to sustaining a pseudo appellate system while the US has refused to formalise appointments to the formal mechanisms over the past few years.

Studies also show that China has been a good actor when it comes to compliance to WTO rulings (see China's Implementation of the Rulings of the World Trade Organization).

As Professor Colin Picker observes: "As this book shows, it is only through a comprehensive analysis of China's responses to WTO rulings that one can see the truth of China's compliance – which is not as a scofflaw, but rather, as one would expect from any large and complex economy, as a generally rule abiding participant."