China at Odds With WTO Over Media Import Rules

Posted on Sep 22, 2009

AP / Eugene Hoshiko

Hollywood by way of Shanghai: A woman in China talks on her mobile phone as she passes an advertisement for the film “The Da Vinci Code” in a 2006 file photo.

It’s not the first time that objections have been raised over the kinds of values promoted, whether explicitly or implicitly, by media products hailing from the general vicinity of Hollywood, but this time the issue concerns a whole country taking on a major international commercial coalition: China and the World Trade Organization, respectively.  —KA

The Wall Street Journal:

China on Tuesday invoked defense of its “public morals” in appealing a World Trade Organization ruling against restrictions on distribution of Hollywood movies and other Western media, according to a copy of the appeal reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The move reflects escalating trade tensions between the two major trade partners ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh this week. Earlier this month, the U.S. slapped tariffs of 25% to 35% on imports of Chinese tires. Beijing retaliated by opening investigations into imports from the U.S. poultry products and auto parts.

In its last-minute appeal against against the WTO’s Aug. 12 ruling on media distribution restrictions, China charged that the WTO panel “committed errors of law and legal interpretation in concluding that none of the measures are ‘necessary’ to protect public morals.”

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