A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has been honoured with an appointment to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute resolution panel.

The academic course director at the CSU Centre for Customs and Excise Studies in Canberra, adjunct Associate Professor Greg Weppner, was recently notified of his appointment as a WTO panellist to adjudicate a dispute between China and Canada.

This is Professor Weppner's second WTO panel appointment, and he is one of only a small number of Australian trade experts to have been appointed to this prestigious role.

Professor Weppner said, "It's an honour to be appointed as a WTO panellist and to be invited to contribute in this way to the important international dispute resolution work of the WTO".

The WTO panel process is central to resolving disputes between WTO members. The panel, composed of three international experts, prepares a report of its findings on whether or not there has been a breach of a member's WTO obligations and recommends a course of action to be implemented as a consequence.

Professor Weppner's panel will examine an anti-dumping dispute, 'China – Anti-dumping measures on imports of cellulose pulp from Canada'.

'Dumping' occurs when the 'export price' of a product is less than its 'normal value' in the exporting country. Under WTO rules, this is regarded as an unfair trading practice and measures (dumping duties) can be put into place to shield domestic industries from these pricing practices by the foreign exporters if it can be proved that they have caused material injury to the domestic industry. In this case, China has imposed dumping duties against imports of cellulose pulp from Canada, and Canada considers this action to be inconsistent with China's obligations under WTO rules. China and Canada have held consultations with the view to resolving the dispute, but these consultations failed and Canada requested the establishment of the panel to adjudicate the matter.

At its meeting on 10 March 2015, the Dispute Settlement Body of the WTO established a panel at the request of Canada in accordance with Article 6 of the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes. The panel is expected to circulate its final report to WTO members by the end of 2015.