Many foreign manufacturers pressured their governments to influence the WTO to clear the obstacle, the Shanghai-based China Business News quoted an anonymous MOC official as saying Friday.
According to the latest customs figures, China imported US$10.6 billion worth of auto parts last year, up 17.8 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, the country's auto parts manufacture industry marked an industrial output of 670 billion yuan (about US$93.1 billion), statistics from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed.
Market analysts believe that even if the panel's final decision backs up the interim decision, not much influence would be felt by the domestic auto industry in the long term.
"Only those foreign high-grade auto manufacturers will benefit," said Jia Xinguang, a senior analyst with China Auto Consultation Co. Ltd..
