Brazil Sues China to WTO for the Sugar Import Control Measures

By CnAgri2018-11-09 10:18:13 Print The trade protection measures is applicable to traditional sugar importing countries, Brazil, the global largest sugar producer and exporter, is included. Brazil is one of the sugar suppliers to China, China used to import around 2 million tons sugar per year from Brazil before enforcement of the measures, it was as high as 3.28 million tons in 2013, accounting for 60-70% of total import to China. After the protection measures, import from Brazil in 2017 shrank to 780,000 tons, percentage in the total import dropped to 43%, causing a big impact on Brazilian sugar export trade.
Brazil suggested to Chinese Government in April 2018 that there can be introduction of partial quota and to avoid tariff outside quota (based on 50%) so as to solve the dispute, but the Government refused it. In October Brazil appealed to WTO over control of sugar import, questioning China’s “protection measures”, quota and the “automatic import approval” for outside quota. The Chinese authority replied its management measures over sugar import are in line with its commitment upon entry into WTO and relevant WTO rules.