The World Trade Organisation on Wednesday ruled against China in a complaint over import duties on car parts from the US, the European Union and Canada. The ­ruling is the first official condemnation of China’s trade practices since it joined the WTO in 2001.

US officials confirmed that a WTO dispute panel, in an interim judgment given to the parties, had “in all major respects ... agreed with the US that China has acted inconsistently with its WTO commitments”.