Market Access in China—Publications and Audiovisual Materials: A Moral Victory With a Silver Lining

This article will attempt to situate the recent market access dispute in the broader context of US-China economic and political relations. The first part surveys the history of China's entry into the Worls Trade Organization (WTO), addressing specifically the obligations relevant to the WTO Panel dispute. The second part presents the arguments made by the US and China, and summarizes the Panel's findings. Finally, Part III evaluates the extent to which the dispute and the Panel's decision addressed and advanced US economic and policy goals related to the trade of copyrighted goods in China. The US won a significant victory in China -- Publications & Audiovisual Materials. There is a market in China for these content goods, and the decision makes clear that cumbersome restrictions on the right to import, distribute, and conduct content review for those goods is in violation of China's WTO obligations.