Posts tagged ‘Ministry of Commerce’

29/01/2015

China pledges to ‘regulate and revamp’ e-commerce sector amid Alibaba row | South China Morning Post

The Ministry of Commerce said it will boost regulation of China’s e-commerce sector amid the continuing row between Alibaba Group, over alleged sale of fake goods by its subsidiary Taobao.com, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC).

Alibaba's corporate headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Photo: Reuters

Shen Danyang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday that the move was aimed at revamping the entire sector.

Last year, the ministry investigated more than 11,000 violations in the fast-growing e-commerce industry, and closed 3,400 websites, Shen said. The ministry would continue its campaign to build a safe and reliable market for consumers.

Online media company Sina reported on Thursday that a SAIC spokesperson denied they had received a formal complaint from Taobao.com against director Liu Hongliang, despite Taobao’s claim yesterday that they would do so.

An open letter was published on Taobao’s official Weibo account on Tuesday accusing SAIC director Liu of commissioning an “unfair” quality survey of goods sold on the platform, which resembles eBay of the US, and making public the results without giving online shop owners a chance to appeal.

Alibaba Group is due to release its quarterly earnings tonight.

via China pledges to ‘regulate and revamp’ e-commerce sector amid Alibaba row | South China Morning Post.

04/02/2014

BBC News – China cancels Thailand rice deal amid probe

Thailand has announced that a contract to sell more than a million tonnes of rice to China has been cancelled.

File photo: Rice stockpile in Thailand

The Ministry of Commerce said the Chinese government pulled out of the the deal to buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice because of an ongoing probe.

Thailand\’s Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a rice purchase policy.

The policy has been a factor in the anti-government protests that have sparked Thailand\’s political crisis.

The deal with China would have been the first stage of what the Thai government was hoping to be a larger shipment of of rice this year.

\”China lacks confidence to do business with us after the National Anti-Corruption Commission started investigations into the transparency of rice deals between Thailand and China,\” Thai Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan said, announcing the cancellation.

via BBC News – China cancels Thailand rice deal amid probe.

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17/09/2012

* China files WTO complaint against U.S. CVDs

Xinhua: “China on Monday requested to negotiate with the U.S. over countervailing duties (CVDs) levied by it against Chinese tyres within the trade dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“Through consultations within the WTO trade dispute settlement mechanism, the Chinese side hopes the U.S. can correct its wrong-doing and properly deal with concerns from China,” said Shen Danyang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

In a statement on MOC’s website, Shen said China has reiterated its stance on different occasions that it resolutely opposes the abuse of trade remedy rules or trade protectionism. He added that China will exercise its rights as a WTO member to protect the legitimate interests of domestic industries.

China’s request for consultation came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit passed a so-called GPX bill earlier this year to authorize the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to apply CVDs to “non-market economy” countries.

The bill, a remedy for the Tariff Act of 1930, overturned a previous federal court ruling that the U.S. DOC did not have legal authority to impose CVDs on goods from non-market economy countries and gives an application retroactive period since Nov. 20, 2006.

Shen said the U.S. has for many years kept launching countervailing probes against Chinese products without legal support of U.S. laws.

The GPX bill will place Chinese enterprises under an uncertain legal environment and violates WTO rules on transparency and procedural justice, Shen said.

According to the MOC, the trade dispute on tyres involves 24 types of tyre products worth about 7.23 billion U.S. dollars.”

via China files WTO complaint against U.S. CVDs – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

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