WTO sides with US over Indonesia in trade dispute
The United States, in cooperation with New Zealand as co-complainant, filed this dispute to address trade barriers in Indonesia that restrict the importation of American fruits and vegetables, such as apples, grapes and potatoes.
“The Obama administration has again prevailed on behalf of U.S. farmers, ranchers and businesses,” said Ambassador Froman. “Today’s panel report will help eliminate unjustified trade restrictions on American agricultural products, allowing U.S. farmers and ranchers to sell their high-quality products to customers in Indonesia—the fourth-most populous country in the world. This major victory is the fourth WTO win announced by USTR this year. It again affirms the administration’s commitment to enforcing U. S. rights to ensure Americans benefit from all the opportunities the United States has negotiated under our trade agreements.”
Since 2012, Indonesia has maintained unjustified and trade-restrictive licensing regimes for the importation of horticultural products. Indonesia has amended its regimes several times, adding additional trade-restrictive requirements. The United States launched a dispute with Indonesia in January 2013 and, working together with New Zealand, filed additional complaints in August 2013 and in May 2014 to address the modifications to Indonesia’s import licensing restrictions.
source: hpj.com
