China has asked the World Trade Organisation to mediate in its dispute with the United States over tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which Beijing says contradict WTO agreements.
According to a Tuesday statement from the WTO, China has said the duties of 25 per cent on imports of steel products and 10 per cent on those of aluminium are inconsistent with provisions of the organisation's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and of the Agreement on Safeguards.
China has requested WTO dispute consultations with the United States, which give both parties a chance to resolve the dispute without resorting to litigation, according to the WTO.
The US implemented the tariffs last month, launching the first in a series of retaliatory trade measures that have prompted fears of an all-out trade war between the world's two largest economies.
