Source:  MEATINGPLACE.COM, 7/29/10

A World Trade Organization panel has ruled in China's favor in the dispute over the U.S. ban on imports of Chinese chicken, Chinese media reported Thursday.

China’s Commerce Ministry received the ruling from the WTO, the China Daily said. The ruling is expected to open the U.S. market to China’s finished chicken breast exports, it said.

According to the Agence France-Press, a ministry official confirmed that China had received the WTO ruling but declined to provide further details.

Reuters quoted an unnamed Chinese source as saying the ruling has been issued but will remain confidential until it is published in a couple of months.

China and the United States halted imports of each other's poultry in 2004 due to fears over the spread of bird flu. Some exports of U.S. poultry to China have resumed.

The WTO panel was formed last July to address China’s complaint that Washington breached international trade rules in effectively banning imports of Chinese poultry.

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