US not fully complying with India steel dispute ruling, says WTO

A World Trade Organisation panel ruled on Friday that Washington had failed to fully comply with a five-year-old ruling in a dispute over import duties on Indian steel products.

India first filed its complaint at the WTO in 2012, after Washington imposed duties of nearly 300 per cent on imports of products including carbon-quality steel pipes, after complaining that Indian steel manufacturers were benefitting from unfair subsidies.

The global trade body then ruled in 2014 that the duties constituted a breach of global trade rules, and ordered Washington to bring its practices into line.

But India complained that Washington was failing to comply with that ruling and asked the WTO to weigh in again.

In the ruling on Friday, the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body rejected several charges by India but found that the US had "failed to comply with the recommendations and rulings of the DSB in the original dispute."

"We recommend that the United States bring its measures into conformity with its obligations," the ruling said.

The WTO polices global trade accords in an effort to offer its member economies a level playing field.

Its panels can authorise retaliatory trade measures by the wronged party if its rival fails to fall into line.