US wins trade dispute with China over duties on cars, SUVs

GENEVA: The World Trade Organization ruled just before the weekend that China had violated trade rules when it slapped punitive duties as high as 21 percent on American-made cars and sport utility vehicles.

The ruling was an enormous victory for U.S. automotive manufacturers, coming at a time of rising tensions between the U.S. and China on a range of strategic issues. It was the second time in two months that the US has won a WTO trade case against China. In March, the WTO ruled that China had restricted trade by imposing export duties on so-called rare earth elements, the lightweight, superconductive minerals that are critical to a wide range of high-tech products.