MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Rostec considers Western sanctions, and not import substitution in Russia, to be a violation of the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a representative with the state corporation told TASS.
"[It is] Western sanctions, which violate the WTO norms," the official said.
On Tuesday, US trade representative Katherine Tai said the US intends to use the WTO mechanisms to hold Russia accountable for its alleged trade activities. She made this statement after her Office released its "2021 Report on the Implementation and Enforcement of Russia’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Commitments."
According to that report, "Russia maintains restrictive at-the-border measures, institutes behind-the-border measures to inhibit trade, and implements an industrial policy seemingly driven by the guiding principles of import substitution and forced localization."
"Ms. Tai claims that Russia allegedly violates the principles of free and predictable trade, discriminates against foreign suppliers. But she forgets that freedom and predictability must be on both sides. The real violation of the WTO is Western sanctions. By using them, the Western authorities repeatedly proved that they are ready at any time to stop the supply of any product to Russia under any pretext," the state corporation stressed.
Rostec noted that this was the case for composite materials for a civil project - the production of wings for the MC-21 aircraft.
"In 2018, they simply cut off the supplies hoping to slow down a promising aviation project. As a result, we had to create, test, and implement our own materials in the shortest possible time. We successfully coped with this work, the other day the MC-21 with the Russian "black" wing is to make its first flight," the Rostec said.
"In this sense, we are really free and predictable - we substituted imports predictably and freely. And we will continue to do this in all areas where it meets our national interests," the state corporation noted.