China welcomes support in Turkiye vehicle dispute

China welcomed a World Trade Organization panel report that backed its claims against Turkiye's restrictions on vehicle imports from China, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.

The panel found the measures inconsistent with WTO rules, an official from the ministry's department of treaty and law said in a statement.

Since 2023, Turkiye has introduced a series of restrictive measures on electric, hybrid and other vehicles imported from China, including additional tariffs and import licensing requirements, the official said.

The measures violated multilateral trade rules on tariff bindings, national treatment and most favored nation treatment, seriously harming China's legitimate trade interests and China-Turkiye economic and trade ties, the official explained.

"China urges Turkiye to respect the WTO panel's ruling, take concrete action and bring the measures into conformity with WTO rules as soon as possible," the official added.

The official said China remains firmly committed to a mutually beneficial opening-up strategy and to upholding the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

China stands ready to work with all parties, in accordance with multilateral trade rules, to raise the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation in new energy vehicles and other sectors and achieve common development, the official added.