The Chinese and European flags during an EU-China summit at the European Commission in June 2015. THIERRY CHARLIER / AFP The European Commission has launched new proceedings against China before the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge “unfair and illegal commercial practices” in matters of intellectual property, she announced Monday January 20. The European Union (EU) accuses Beijing of putting “pressure” on European high-tech companies to lower patent prices, particularly in the field of 5G for mobile phones. Read later The Commission has requested consultations before the WTO, the first step in a dispute settlement procedure. European companies must be able to work within the framework of “fair and equitable competition. When this is not the case, the Commission takes decisive action to protect their rights,” assured Maros Sefkovic, Commissioner for European Trade. Beijing “deplored” this procedure on Monday. China “will handle the outcome of this matter in accordance with WTO rules and resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” its Commerce Ministry said in a statement. According to Brussels, China has empowered its courts to set binding tariffs for essential EU patents, without the consent of patent owners. This “allows Chinese manufacturers to access these European technologies at lower cost, in an unfair manner,” accuses the Commission. If these consultations before the WTO do not result within sixty days, the EU may move on to a contentious phase. Read later The European Union is in the middle of a commercial standoff with China in many areas. At the end of November, the Commission had already referred the matter to the WTO to challenge Chinese customs measures against European spirits such as cognac. China, for its part, referred the matter to the WTO on October 30 after the decision deemed “protectionist” by Brussels to impose customs surcharges on electric cars imported from China. Le Monde with AFP The contributions area is reserved for subscribers. Subscribe to access this discussion space and contribute to the discussion. Subscribe Contribute Reuse this content
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Author : News7
Publish date : 2025-01-20 15:14:41
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