WT/DS489/7  
 
19 April 2016  
(16-2213)  Page: 1/4  
  Original: English  
 
 CHINA - MEASURES RELATED TO DEMONSTRATION BASES  
AND COMMON SERVICE PLATFORMS PROGRAMMES 
COMMUNICATION FROM CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES 
The following communication, dated 14 April 2016, was received from the delegation of China and 
the delegation of the United States with the request that it be circulated to the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB). 
 
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The Governments of the People's Republic of China and the United States of America wish to notify 
the Dispute Settlement Body that we have reached an agreement, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding, with respect to the matter raised by the United States in the dispute China – 
Measures Related to Demonstration Bases and Common Service Platforms Programs (WT/DS489). 
 Please find attached the text of the Memorandum of Understanding. We ask that you circulate this 
notification and the attachment to the Dispute Settlement Body. 
   
 
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 WT/DS489/7 
 
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  Memorandum of Understanding Between 
the People's Republic of China and the United  States of America Related to the Dispute 
China – Measures Related to Demonstration Bases  
and Common Service Platforms  Programs  (DS489) 
 
 The United States of America ("United States") re quested consultations with the People's Republic 
of China ("China") at the World Trade Organizati on ("WTO") on 11 February 2015 pursuant to 
Articles 1 and 4 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of 
Disputes , Article XXII:1 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 , and Articles 4 and 30 
of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures  regarding certain measures that 
appear to provide  financial support to enterprises  in several industries in China (DS489); 
 China and the United States held constructive consultations in Geneva on 13 March 2015, and on 
1 April 2015 to 2 April 2015,  with constructive discussions continuing thereafter;  
 During this process, China has provided detailed clarifications respecting certain measures 
contained in the consultation request and  has adopted concrete actions to  repeal and  modify  
pertinent measures contained in the consultation request.  China and the United States have agreed as follows: 
 
1. During the consultations and in subsequent discussions, the United States described its 
concerns regarding the funding and other financial support to Foreign Trade Common 
Service Platforms ("Common Service Platforms").  In this regard, China confirms that it has 
terminated all funding and other financial support to Common Service Platforms at the 
central and sub-central levels of government.  
 
a. China confirms that the following measures have ceased to be in force because they are 
annual measures which were only valid for the pertinent fiscal years :  Ministry of 
Finance, Ministry of Commerce Notice on the 2014 Foreign Trade Development Special 
Fund Application Work,  Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Cai Qi [2014] No. 58 
(17 April 2014) and Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce Notice on Doing Well the 
Administrative Work of the 2013 Foreign Trade Common Service Platform Construction 
Fund,  Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce, Cai Qi [2013] No. 101 (28 May 2013).  
In any event, China has issued the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce Notice 
Regarding the Repeal of Instruments Relati ng to the Management of Foreign Trade 
Common Service Platform Construction Fund , Cai Xing [2015] No. 370 (19 August 
2015) to confirm this fact. 
  
b. China confirms that it has issued Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce Notice on 
the 2015 Foreign Trade Development Special Fund Application Work,  Cai Xing [2015] 
No. 216 (19 June 2015),  and has confirmed that the central and sub-central 
governments shall  not use the Foreign Trade Development Special Fund to support 
Common Service Platforms. 
 
c. China  further  confirms that all sub-central government measures in the consultation 
request  implementing the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce Notice on the 2014 
Foreign Trade Development Special Fund Application Work , Ministry of Finance, Ministry 
of Commerce, Cai Qi [2014] No. 58 (17 April 2014)  have been repealed or have ceased 
to be in force.  
 
d. China confirms that it has issued a certain administrative notice, which directs the sub-
central governments to terminate any existing financial support to Common Service 
Platforms. 
 
e. China confirms that it has issued a certain administrative notice, which prohibits the 
central and sub-central governments from providing funding from the Foreign Trade 
Development Special Fund to Common Serv ice Platforms supporting Demonstration 
Bases that have export performance as designation criteria or other projects that have 
export performance as application requirements. 
 WT/DS489/7 
 
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  2. During the consultations and in subsequent discussions, the United States described its 
concerns regarding the preferential services agreements pursuant to which Common Service 
Platforms provide discounted services to Demonstration Base enterprises.  China confirms all 
existing preferential services agreements with Common Service Platforms or its service 
suppliers have expired or been terminated. 
   
3. During the consultations and in subsequent discussions, the United States described its 
concerns regarding the WTO-consistency of certain grants related to the central level 
Demonstration Bases and to other related sub-central level Demonstration Bases.  In this 
regard, China confirms that each  sub-central government has terminated the provisions in 
certain  measures contained in the consultation request and in the panel request 
(Instruments 167-171 and 173-175) that provide grants to Demonstration Base enterprises. 
 4. During the consultations and in subsequent discussions, the United States described its 
concerns regarding the Demonstration Base program. 
 
a. China  has explained  that the purpose of the Demonstration Base program  was to 
encourage the upgrade and transformation of foreign trade and not to channel 
financial support to export enterprises.  China confirms that it has issued Ministry of 
Commerce Notice on Doing Well the Related Work of Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base , Shang Mao Han [2015] No. 998 (22 December 2015) ("the new 
central Base measure" ), which declares that the  
 
 Ministry of Commerce Letter on Carrying Out the Cultivation Work for the Foreign 
Trade Transformation and Upgrading Demonstration Bases, Ministry of 
Commerce, Shang Mao Han [2011] No. 62 (14 February 2011),  
 Ministry of Commerce Notice on Carrying Out the Second Batch of National 
Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgr ading Specialized Demonstration Bases 
Determination Work, Ministry of Commerce, Shang Mao Han [2012] No. 208 (10 April 2012),  and the  
 Ministry of Commerce Notice on Organizing the Application of the Third Batch of 
National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Specialized Demonstration 
Bases Relevant Materials, Ministry of Commerce, Shang Mao Han [2013] No. 467 (17 July 2013)   
have ceased to be in force. 
 
b. China confirms that the new central Base measure does not contain: (i) any language 
related to export performance as the purpose of the program; and (ii) any designation 
criteria related to export performance. 
 
c. China agrees that after the issuance of the new central Base measure, the Ministry of 
Commerce  shall review the status of  all existing central level Demonstration Bases in 
accordance with the  new central Base measure. 
 
d. China further agrees that each sub-central government shall issue measures to modify 
the measures in the consultation request that provide for the designation of related 
sub-central level Demonstration Bases in accordance with the new central Base 
measure.  China confirms that such sub-central base measures shall not contain: (i) 
any language related to export performance as the purpose of the program; and (ii) 
any designation criteria related to export performance.  
 
e. China agrees that  after the issuance of the sub-central level measures referred to in 
subparagraph (d), the relevant sub-central governments shall  review the status of 
existing sub-central level Demonstration Bases and shall designate any new sub-
central level Bases  in accordance with the new central Base measure and relevant sub-
central level measures. 
 
5. During the consultations and the subsequent discussions, China has provided the United 
States with certain measures that are relevant to the issues referred to in paragraphs 1 WT/DS489/7 
 
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  through 3, including measures that repeal, confirm the expiry of, or terminate the measures 
at issue in this dispute.  Furthermore, Chin a agrees to provide the United States with 
measures to be adopted to effect the changes to the measures at issue in this dispute as 
envisaged under paragraph 4 periodically.  
 
6. China and the United States agree to exchange information periodically, through the Ministry 
of Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, respectively, to 
facilitate their mutual understanding of actions taken pursuant to this MOU.  China and the 
United States shall regularly consult on the actions taken or needed pursuant to this MOU 
and will work cooperatively and expeditiously to address any concerns.  
 
7. This MOU is without prejudice to the rights and obligations of China and the United States 
under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization .  
 
Done in Geneva, on 14 April 2016, in two sets of or iginal copies in both Chinese and English, with 
each linguistic version being equally authentic.  
 
For the Government of 
the People's Republic of China 
 
 
  
 
___________________________ For the Government of 
the United States of America 
 
 
  
 
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