中国加入世界贸易组织时承诺,在对中国企业进行反倾销调查时,可以继续将中国视为非市场经济国家对待,最长不超过 15 年,这就是入世承诺的“非市场经济条款”。据此,很多国家仍然视中国为非市场经济国家,在进行反倾销调查时,不承认中国企业的国内销售价格和成本数据,采用替代国价格认定中国企业的正常价值。但是,这些国家在不采纳中国企业国内销售价格作为正常价值的同时,继续认为中国企业的出口完全受国家控制,因此不给予中国企业单独税率,只给整个国家一个统一税率。
本文试图从目前的法律规定中对单独税率问题进行分析,论证其是否合法。笔者认为,根据WTO 的相关规定,以及中国加入世贸组织的法律文件,在单独税率问题上目前美国和欧盟的法律规定和做法与WTO 规定不符。
一、WTO 框架下的法律渊源
关于非市场经济待遇和单独税率问题,在 WTO 法律框架下,可以援引的法律渊源包括WTO 法律文本和中国加入世界贸易组织法律文件(相关条文附后)。
WTO 法律文本中涉及非市场经济问题的条款有 GATT 1947 第 6 条及其注释和补充规定,以及《反倾销协议》中的个别条文。
从 WTO 的法律条文上看,对于非市场经济国家,在进行价格比较时,满足一定条件的,可以认定出口价格与中国国内价格严格比较不适当,可以采用替代国的价格确定中国产品的正常价值。从法律条文的含义来看,该条文主要说的是如何确定中国产品正常价值的问题。GATT 1947 第 6 条规定:“…the price of the product exported from one country to another is less than the comparable price, in the ordinary course of trade, for the like product when destined for consumption in the exporting country…”该条注释的表述为:“…importing contracting parties may find it necessary to take into account the possibility that a strict comparison with domestic prices in such a country may not always be appropriate.”GATT 1947 第 6 条及其注释和补充规定中的用词为“可比价格”(comparable price)或“与国内价格严格比较”(a strict comparison with domestic prices),即主要说的都是在确定出口价格的可比价格——也就是正常价值——的时候可以对非市场经济国家采取不同的方法。此条文并未涉及如何认定出口价格问题,未允许调查机关可以不使用出口国企业的出口价格。(反倾销协议第 2.1 条和第 2.2 条文字表述与 GATT1947 第 6 条相同)
而反倾销协议第6.10条规定:“The authorities shall, as a rule, determine an individual margin of dumping for each known exporter or producer concerned of the product under investigation.”按照此条规定,调查机关应当对每一个企业确定一个单独的倾销幅度,不能对整个所有中国企业给一个统一税率。
中国加入WTO 法律文件的法律条文中,其文字表述也只涉及如何认定正常价值,不涉及如何认定出口价格的问题。中国加入 WTO 法律文件中涉及非市场经济问题的条款有中华人民共和国加入议定书第 15 条,和中国加入工作组报告书第 150、151 段。这些条款表述中, 只是论述可以进行严格比较的条件,即不使用出口国国内价格确定正常价值的条件,不涉及对出口价格的认定。
中国加入议定书第 15 条规定:“(a) In determining price comparability under Article VI of the GATT 1994 and the Anti-Dumping Agreement, the importing WTO Member shall use either Chinese prices or costs for the industry under investigation or a methodology that is not based on a strict comparison with domestic prices or costs in China based on the following rules:”“(i) If the producers under investigation can clearly show that market economy conditions prevail in the industry producing the like product with regard to the manufacture, production and sale of that product, the importing WTO Member shall use Chinese prices or costs for the industry under investigation in determining price comparability; (ii) The importing WTO Member may use a methodology that is not based on a strict comparison with domestic prices or costs in China if the producers under investigation cannot clearly show that market economy conditions prevail in the industry producing the like product with regard to manufacture, production and sale of that product.”中国加入工作组报告书第 150 段也是同样的文字表述。
在对上述条文中的“comparable price”,“price comparability”和“a strict comparison with domestic prices”进行解释时,能否意味着不涉及出口价格的确定,只涉及正常价值的确定呢?可以分析涉及“comparable price”的 WTO 争端解决机制的案例来得出答案。目前,有两个的案例涉及此问题,印度诉欧盟床单案(EC – Bed Linen)和韩国诉美国不锈钢板案(US – Stainless Steel)。
欧盟床单案对反倾销协议第 2.4.2 条中的“comparable”进行了解释。第 2.4.2 条规定: “…the existence of margins of dumping during the investigation phase shall normally be established on the basis of a comparison of a weighted average normal value with a weighted average of prices of all comparable export transactions or by a comparison of normal value and export prices on a transaction-to-transaction basis.”WTO 专家组对此条中的“comparable”解释为:“The ordinary meaning of the word ‘comparable’ is ‘able to be compared’. ‘Comparable export transactions’ within the meaning of Article 2.4.2 are, therefore, export transactions that are able to be compared. …”(Appellate Body Report on EC – Bed Linen, paras. 56-58)
美国不锈钢案中,WTO 专家组对 2.4.2 条中涉及“comparable”的条文解释为“Article 2.4.2 provides that the existence of dumping shall normally be established ‘on the basis of a comparison of a weighted average normal value with a weighted average of all comparable export transactions’. The inclusion of the word ‘comparable’ is in our view highly significant, as in its ordinary meaning it indicates that a weighted average normal value is not to be compared to a weighted average export price that includes non-comparable export transactions. It flows from this conclusion that a Member is not required to compare a single weighted average normal value to a single weighted average export price in cases where certain export transactions are not comparable to transactions that represent the basis for the calculation of the normal value.”(Panel Report on US – Stainless Steel, paras. 6.111-6.114)
上述专家组在解释第 2.4.2 条中的“comparable”时,论述的是“comparable”后面的内容能否与“comparable”前面的内容进行比较,以及如何比较的问题。第 2.4.2 条文字为“all comparable export transactions”,因此,专家组论述的是“comparable”后面的“export transactions” 能否与“ comparable” 前面的正常价值进行比较的问题, 也即如何确定“comparable”后面的“export transactions”问题,不是如何确定“comparable”前面的正常价值的问题。
因此,从上述专家组的论述中可以得出结论,在WTO 法律框架下,对涉及非市场经济条款进行解释涉及“comparable” 时,均是如何确定“comparable”后面的正常价值的问题, 不涉及如何认定“comparable”前面的出口价格问题。