US offers to settle trade disputes with China

US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said on Thursday that Washington was willing to settle its three outstanding trade disputes with Beijing in a "businesslike manner," AFP reported. She added that officials expect the WTO to start handing down decisions on auto parts, intellectual property rights enforcement and market access early this year "that vindicate US claims." Schwab claimed that the US has won or successfully settled 96% of the cases it has brought to the WTO. In November the two nations agreed to settle another case, which saw China commit to ending industrial subsidies outlawed by the WTO. However, in her address to the US Chamber of Commerce, Schwab warned against seeking sanctions against China for allegedly maintaining an undervalued currency in order to make its exports artificially cheap in the global market.