UNITED States measures that effectively banned imports of Chinese cooked chicken broke international trade rules and caused injury to China's economy, a World Trade Organization dispute panel said yesterday.

The US measures challenged by China were unscientific and discriminatory, the panel found.

The WTO decision said the US was violating a number of its trade obligations by preventing Chinese chicken parts from entering the US market.

The WTO can authorize sanctions against countries failing to comply with trade rules, but that usually takes years of litigation.

Washington can appeal the 184-page verdict handed down yesterday.