18.04.2009

China launched the first World Trade Organization case against the administration of President Barack Obama on Friday, challenging a U.S. ban on Chinese poultry. Beijing said Washington was violating a number of global commerce rules by preventing Chinese chicken parts from entering the U.S. market. Its request for consultation kicks off a 60-day consultation period, after which it can ask the WTO to launch a formal investigation. The WTO can authorize sanctions against countries failing to comply with trade rules, usually after years of litigation. In Washington, Deborah Mesloh, a spokeswoman for U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, said the administration viewed the WTO procedure as a “… constructive mechanism to allow trading partners to resolve their differences.” China and the United States banned each others’ poultry in 2004 following an outbreak of bird flu. China lifted the ban after a few months and complains Washington refuses to do the same.