United States Blocks China’s Application to Join WTO Information Technology Agreement
 
March 8, 2002
 

The United States has blocked China’s application to be formally accepted as a party to the World Trade Organization’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA) because of China’s decision to retain import tariffs on 15 products. The ITA requires that participating countries have eliminated import tariffs on 180 information technology products by January 1, 2000; some countries, including China, having been granted longer implementation periods on some products. While China is on schedule for most goods, it has maintained that it will eliminate the tariff on such products as quartz reactor tubes, telecommunications microphones, portable receivers and electric amplifiers only when the goods are to be used for domestic production of other IT goods, and is requiring end-user certificates on the imports of the products. The U.S. move to block China’s formal entry into the ITA has no impact on China’s commitments to the ITA, but will prevent China from participating in the organization’s deliberations.