China on Thursday welcomed a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on the United States' origin marking requirement for products from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The WTO ruled on Wednesday that the U.S. had violated international trading laws by requiring Hong Kong products to be labeled "Made in China," rejecting Washington's argument that its national security interests allowed for such labeling.

China welcomes the fair ruling by a WTO dispute panel, said Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Currently, the origin of Hong Kong export products is marked as "Hong Kong" as Hong Kong is a separate member of the WTO and enjoys the special status as a separate customs territory under "One Country, Two Systems."

"The status of Hong Kong as a separate customs territory is approved by the Chinese government, confirmed by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and established by the multilateral rules of the WTO," said Mao. "It is not granted by any single [WTO] member."

Earlier on Thursday, a China's Ministry of Commerce spokesperson urged the U.S. to respect the ruling.

China hopes the U.S. will take concrete action to correct its wrongdoings and uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system and the normal trade order, the spokesperson said in a statement.

On August 11, 2020, Washington required Hong Kong products exported to the United States be labeled "Made in China."

In Wednesday's ruling, the WTO panel said the U.S. origin marking requirement had violated the country's obligation under the trade body's rules.

The panel said it did not constitute an "emergency in international relations" and that the U.S. labeling rules discriminated against products made in Hong Kong.

The HKSAR government also welcomed the ruling, saying it has once again proved that the United States had disregarded international trade rules.

Washington has attempted to "impose discriminatory and unfair requirements unilaterally, unreasonably suppressed Hong Kong products and enterprises, and politicized economic and trade issues," said Algernon Yau, secretary for commerce and economic development of the HKSAR government, in a statement on Wednesday.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A file photo of the World Trade Organization logo at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. /Reuters)