China will properly handle disputes regarding anti-dumping and countervailing duties on barley imported from Australia, in line with the dispute settlement procedures of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the commerce ministry said on Thursday.

 

The Chinese government has always respected the WTO rules and has managed its foreign trade according to these rules, Gao Feng, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), said in response to the WTO's recent establishment of a panel to resolve the disputes.

 

As for New Zealand's participation in the case, Gao said that China respects the country's right as a WTO member to be involved in hearings on the relevant disputes as a third party.

 

China launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into barley imported from Australia on Nov. 19 and Dec. 21 of 2018, respectively, after receiving applications from the domestic industry.

 

After one and a half years of investigations, the country decided to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on such products starting from May 19, 2020.