Trade
Dispute Settlement

Handing China a third defeat in WTO dispute settlement in the last 13 months, a WTO panel ruled in a case brought by the US that China violated fundamental WTO rules requiring national treatment as well as China's accession commitments by requiring the US movie studios, book and newspaper publishers, and record labels to go through a state-owned middleman company before they can sell their products to Chinese consumers. China may lodge an appeal on the panel decision, which some lawyers say China has little chance of winning.