US criticises China’s WTO compliance as industry groups mount complaints

At a hearing reviewing China’s compliance with its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, a senior US trade official said Beijing was targeting entire industrial sectors for global dominance while retaining a non-market economic system.Terry McCartin, Assistant US Trade Representative (USTR) for China, Mongolia and Taiwan Affairs, said China’s anticompetitive behaviour posed a major challenge to the global trading system.“More critically, after 25 years of WTO membership, China still embraces a non-market economic system,” McCartin said in his opening remarks at the hearing. He said China’s approach had evolved, with Beijing now focused on targeting entire industrial sectors for global dominance.This came as US steelmakers urged Washington to consider additional tariffs and coordinate with other countries to counter China’s steel overcapacity, as industry groups outlined complaints about Beijing’s trade practices ahead of the Wednesday hearing.