China urges WTO members to abandon surrogate country approach

China on Friday urged other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to abandon the surrogate country approach when calculating anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports.

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang said China will take measures to defend its rights if members continue the old practice in anti-dumping investigations into Chinese products after its expiration date.

Under the surrogate country approach, WTO members use costs of production in a third country to calculate the value of products from countries on its "non-market economy" list, which includes China. The practice allows countries to easily levy high tariffs.

In accordance with Article 15 of the accession protocol signed when China joined the WTO in 2001, the Surrogate Country approach expires on December 11, 2016.

Shen called for the countries to fulfill their WTO obligations in due time to avoid affecting bilateral trade ties. Endi