On Thursday, China lost an appeal in a dispute over Chinese duties on US exports of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES). The WTO ruled against China in the case in which US producers AK Steel and ATI Allegheny Ludlum complained that China was imposing unfair duties electrical steel imports arriving from the US into China. In December 2009, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) imposed duties on imported electrical steel products.
AK Steel said Thursday in a press release that the tariffs total approximately 19.5 percent against AK Steel. The United States requested consultations with the Government of China in September 2010, beginning the WTO dispute settlement process. On June 15, 2012, a dispute settlement panel ruled that China violated numerous procedural and substantive rules for imposing antidumping and countervailing duties. AK Steel urges the US Trade Representative to insist on China's prompt compliance with the WTO's ruling by rescinding the tariffs within a reasonable period of time. The existing tariffs will remain in effect pending China's implementation of the ruling.