China’s Ministry of Commerce welcomed a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that found it had not violated intellectual property rules in a dispute with the European Union. However, it criticized the panel’s view that WTO members must avoid affecting patent rights in other countries, calling it an overreach, Xinhua reported.

The ministry reaffirmed support for the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), a temporary appeals system under the WTO, and pledged to uphold a fair, rules-based multilateral trading system.