WASHINGTON, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - The United States and European Union should abandon their costly WTO feud over aircraft subsidies and negotiate a new trade pact, Airbus's US chief said Thursday.

Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America, also accused US rival Boeing of using 'offensive and totally inappropriate' tactics in a bid to win a lucrative US Air Force tanker project.

WASHINGTON, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - The United States and European Union should abandon their costly WTO feud over aircraft subsidies and negotiate a new trade pact, Airbus's US chief said Thursday.

Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America, also accused US rival Boeing of using 'offensive and totally inappropriate' tactics in a bid to win a lucrative US Air Force tanker project.

GENEVA, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - The United States said Monday it was 'very disappointed' with a ruling by the World Trade Organisation ruling that its subsidies to cotton farmers breached global trade rules.

The finding confirms a preliminary ruling in July in favour of Brazil, which initially brought the complaint in 2005, and paves the way for sanctions.

Brazil believes its cotton producers are being harmed by government subsidies to US own cotton farmers.

GENEVA, Oct 15, 2007 (AFP) - The European Union has lodged an appeal against a ruling by the World Trade Organisation on a dispute over Brazil's prohibition of imports of retreaded tyres from the EU, diplomats here said Monday.

The EU said in a statement that the WTO's ruling in March in the European's favour had produced 'an extremely narrow condemnation of Brazil.'

It said the ruling by a WTO panel did not require the complete removal of an import ban on retreaded tyres.

HONG KONG, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - A Hong Kong man whose refusal to sell his house in China held up a massive property development has won a record pay-out.

Choi Chu-cheung and his wife held out for more than a year for more compensation for their house, blocking the construction of an 88-storey skyscraper in the heart of the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen.

Despite repeated intimidation from developers and an eviction order from the local government, Choi rejected a 5.06-million-yuan (650,000-dollar) offer, which he said was just a third of the plot's value.

GENEVA, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - The European Union on Wednesday accused the United States of trying to weaken aircraft maker Airbus and causing 27 billion dollars (19 billion euros) in losses by paying subsidies to US rival Boeing.

Airbus and EU officials said on the sidelines of the first hearing at the World Trade Organisation on the EU's complaint against the United States that support for Boeing weakened Airbus's competitiveness.

GENEVA, Sept 25, 2007 (AFP) - The WTO agreed on Tuesday to formally examine a US complaint about shortcomings in China's intellectual property protection, as friction over trade builds between the world's economic superpower and its emerging rival.

The World Trade Organisation's dispute settlement body set up a panel to rule on the dispute in a meeting here, following a complaint Washington first lodged in April, officials said.

GENEVA, Sept 25, 2007 (AFP) - The World Trade Organisation on Tuesday agreed to formally examine a US complaint about shortcomings in China's intellectual property protection, officials said.

The WTO's dispute settlement body set up a panel to rule on the dispute in a meeting here, following a complaint Washington first lodged in April amid friction between the world biggest trading power and its emerging rival on trade issues.

GENEVA, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) - The World Trade Organisation on Friday upheld a complaint by the United States against Turkish measures on rice imports, saying Ankara's policies were inconsistent with global trade rules.

The WTO's dispute settlement panel said Turkish import restrictions on rice were inconsistent with international trade rules, according to the ruling released here.

The panel called on Turkey to bring them into line with WTO agreements.

BEIJING, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - China on Friday demanded consultations with the United States at the World Trade Organisation over a dispute involving coated paper, the commerce ministry said.

The demand was in response to US anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into coated or glossy paper imported from China, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Coated paper is widely used in the publishing industry as it offers sharper and brighter images and has better reflectivity than uncoated paper.

BEIJING, Sept 4, 2007 (AFP) - China said a complaint by the United States and Mexico over Chinese tax breaks that led to a World Trade Organisation investigation was based on a 'huge misunderstanding' and political agendas.

The WTO's Dispute Settlement Body on Friday accepted the complaint, targetting China's industrial subsidies that the two countries claim unfairly give Chinese products a competitive edge on the world market.

GENEVA, Aug 31, 2007 (AFP) - The World Trade Organisation said on Friday it will investigate whether Chinese industrial subsidies breach international trade rules following a complaint by the United States and Mexico.

The US and Mexico's complaint targets tax breaks they claim China offers to its companies if they buy Chinese supplies instead of imported goods and other tax benefits that appear to be based on the export performance of companies.

BEIJING, Aug 25, 2007 (AFP) - China has expressed serious concern at a recent move by Argentina to impose restrictions on Chinese goods, state media said Saturday.

'It is neither reasonable nor acceptable for the Argentine side to make such moves without notifying China in advance,' a spokesman at the commerce ministry said, according to the China Daily.

Argentina revealed a new system of tariffs earlier this month to restrict the imports of consumer goods, particularly from China, to protect local industry.

OSLO, Aug 17, 2007 (AFP) - Norway on Friday claimed victory in its dispute with the European Union over restrictions imposed on Norwegian salmon exports, but Brussels denied the World Trade Organization (WTO) had taken Oslo's side.

In January 2006, the EU decided to extend for five years a 2.80-euro minimum price per kilogram imposed on Norwegian salmon exports, as it accused Norwegian salmon producers of selling their fish at a loss.

WASHINGTON, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - The United States on Monday asked the World Trade Organization to mediate a copyright trade dispute with China, saying bilateral talks have failed to close loopholes that allow counterfeiters to flourish.

It marked the third time in less than a year that the United States has sought a WTO dispute settlement panel to help resolve trade frictions with the leading emerging superpower, whose ballooning trade surplus has become a political flashpoint.

WASHINGTON, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - The United States has asked the World Trade Organization to mediate in its copyright row with China, saying bilateral consultations had failed, the government's trade office said Monday.

The US Trade Representative's office said that after Washington filed a complaint with the WTO in April, challenging 'deficiencies' in China's legal regime for protecting and enforcing copyright and trademark protections, bilateral talks in early June were held.

PARIS, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - WTO trade liberalisation talks stand little chance of bearing fruit given the proposals under discussion by negotiators, French Secretary of State Herve Novelli warned Wednesday.

Novelli told a press conference he saw 'few chances' that the Doha round of talks aimed at reducing global trade barriers would succed given what was 'on the table.'

'The proposals have to be substantially improved,' he said, adding that talks 'have stumbled on the questions of (trade in) agriculture and industry.'

BRASILIA, July 28, 2007 (AFP) - Brazil welcomed Friday a preliminary World Trade Organisation report on US subsidies to its cotton growers, saying it upheld their complaint that Washington was not abiding by trade rules.

It also threatened to retaliate if the full WTO report, which is due out in October, found the United States had failed to fulfil an earlier order to remove the subsidies.

'Brazil is greatly satisfied by the conclusions made in this report,' said Roberto Azevedo, the foreign ministry's deputy secretary for economic affairs.

GENEVA, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Airbus and Boeing, the world's two largest plane makers, said Friday they were prepared to hold talks on subsidy disputes filed before the World Trade Organization more than two years ago.

'It is a pity that Boeing chose the path of litigation. We are ready to negotiate at any time, but it takes two to tango,' Airbus' director of European affairs Geoffrey Shuman told reporters in Geneva.

GENEVA, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Negotiators working to agree on a new global deal to reduce trade barriers are moving closer to an overall accord, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said here Friday.

He was addressing a plenary session of the 150-member World Trade Organisation at the end of a week of stormy debate on measures to lower farm subsidies and to improve access for industrial goods to emerging market countries.

The talks are part of the Doha Round, which was launched in November 2001 in the Qatari capital and has foundered ever since.

GENEVA, June 20, 2007 (AFP) - Arbitrators will decide on Antigua's attempt to impose 3.44 billion dollars (2.56 billion euros) in fines on the United States over a dispute on Internet gambling, the World Trade Organisation said Tuesday.

A meeting of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body was informed that Washington lodged the arbitration request on Monday, objecting to the level of the sanctions and procedural issues.

'The United States would emphasise that the level of Antigua's request is patently excessive,' the United States said in a statement to the meeting.

GENEVA, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - The European Union dismissed on Tuesday new US charges against subsidies for aircraft maker Airbus which doubled estimated overall benefits of such support to 205 billion dollars (148 billion euros).

In the latest episode of the World Trade Organisation battle between the United States and the EU over contested subsidies for their aviation giants, Boeing and Airbus, the US more than doubled its estimate of the impact of state financing on Airbus, according to a senior EU official.

GENEVA, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - A senior European Union official dismissed on Tuesday new US claims that European aircraft maker Airbus had reaped benefits of 205 billion dollars (148 billion euros) thanks to subsidies.

In the latest episode of the World Trade Organisation battle between the United States and the EU over contested subsidies for their aviation giants, Boeing and Airbus, the US more than doubled its estimate of the impact of state financing on Airbus, according to the EU.