Beijing, Feb.4 (ANI): India's ban on Chinese-manufactured toys has prompted authorities in Beijing to lodge a formal protest with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Chinese are demanding that the WTO investigates whether the ban violates WTO laws.
A China Daily report said that the complaint comes after a similar move in which China asked the WTO to investigate anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties imposed by the US on four categories of imports from China in December.
Experts said it is a sign that China will be leveraging WTO rules to help protect its manufacturers from illegal trade barriers and punitive measures by its trading partners at a time when protectionism is growing amid the global economic recession.
The Indian government announced a six-month ban on imports of toys from China on January 23.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade from India, which imposed the ban, did not spell out the reason for the restrictions, but Indian media said it is aimed at protecting Indian manufacturers from being squeezed by the cheaper Chinese products.
"The ban cannot hold water. The Indian side is doomed to lose in the court if the Chinese government appealed to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body," said Fu Donghui, managing director of Allbright Law Firm Beijing, which deals with WTO-related cases.
According to the All India Toy Manufacturers Association, Chinese products annually make up over 50 percent of the Indian toy retailing market, which was estimated at over 500 million dollars in 2007.
It is estimated that China produces about 70 percent of toys worldwide every year, and South China's Guangdong province contributes about 70 percent of that total. (ANI)
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