China said it “regrets” Japan’s decision to complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over anti-dumping duties that it has been placing on stainless steel products since July 2019. Japan’s government confirmed last week that it had complained to the Geneva-based body, with the request for consolation officially circulated to WTO members on Tuesday. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry claims it has repeatedly asked China to remove the measures on steel billets, hot-rolled coils and hot-rolled plates through bilateral talks, claiming they appear to be inconsistent with various provisions under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and the Anti-Dumping Agreement. The investigating agency has protected the rights of all parties … According to the findings of the investigation, corresponding trade remedy measures have been taken Gao Feng “China has received the consultation request from Japan. The anti-dumping case against imported stainless steel originating in Japan is an investigation initiated by the Ministry of Commerce of China after receiving relevant applications from domestic industries,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng on Thursday. “During the investigation, the investigating agency has protected the rights of all parties and given all parties ample opportunities to participate in the investigation. According to the findings of the investigation, corresponding trade remedy measures have been taken. “China expresses regrets over Japan’s request for the consultation, and will properly handle it in accordance with the WTO dispute settlement procedures.” China is already set for a showdown with Australia at the WTO over anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties imposed on Australian barley in May following an 18-month investigation. The total duties of 80.5 per cent destroyed the competitiveness of Australian barley in the Chinese market, prompting Australia to lodge a complaint at the WTO in December. China blocked Australia’s first request at the end of April to establish a panel to investigate the duties, saying the move was “premature”. But at the end of May, the panel was established at the second attempt, when China could not block its formation, with New Zealand joining as a third party. Australian trade minister Dan Tehan also said this week that his government was also in the process of bolstering its legal arguments before potentially asking the WTO to resolve its wine-tariff trade dispute with China. In March, China imposed tariffs of up to 218 per cent on Australian wine for five years, formalising curbs that had been in place for months amid an increasingly fraught relationship with Canberra. “The Chinese government has always firmly upheld the multilateral trading system, respected WTO rules, managed foreign trade and carried out trade remedies in a manner consistent with WTO rules,” added Gao when asked if China was worried about receiving more complaints at the WTO. “China will follow the WTO dispute settlement procedures to properly handle related cases.” China and Australia have been locked in an escalating political conflict for more than a year. It boiled over when Australia pushed for an international inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus without consulting Beijing in April 2020. Ever since then, trade between the two countries had borne the brunt of the tensions, sparking calls for diversification and even “economic decoupling”.