US
WTO dispute with China won
The US had won a trade dispute with China over duties slapped on US exports of large cars and sport utility vehicles, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said on Friday. China, the second-biggest market for US vehicle exports, levied punitive duties in 2011 on vehicles with engines of 2.5 litres and above, in retaliation for US trade policies. The duties have since expired. China only joined the WTO in 2001, but it is the most common target of US disputes at the trade body after the EU. US Trade Representative Michael Froman said the duties affected $5.1 billion (R52.5bn) of the $8.6bn in US car exports to China last year, including popular models such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Buick Enclave and Cadillac Escalade. – Reuters
FRANCE
GE makes play for Alstom unit
General Electric (GE), seeking state approval for its $17 billion (R175bn) bid to buy Alstom’s energy division, said at the weekend that it would keep the French power equipment maker’s nuclear operations in its home country. “We will answer the government’s legitimate demands that the nuclear unit remain French, that intellectual property stay French and that exports be protected,” Clara Gaymard, the head of GE’s business in the country, said at the weekend. Gaymard’s comments underlined GE chief executive’s Jeffrey Immelt’s pledge to respect “the sovereign character” of France’s nuclear industry. – Bloomberg
US
‘More than 13’ died in GM cars
It was likely that more than 13 people died in General Motors (GM) cars recalled earlier this year for defective ignition switches, US safety regulators said on Friday. The car maker said it had raised the number of crashes associated with faulty ignition switches but stood by its count of 13 fatalities. GM recalled 2.6 million cars built and sold between 2003 and 2010, including Chevrolet Cobalt, to replace defective switches that can cause engines to shut off while driving. – Reuters