China is obstructing trade by forcing foreign suppliers to deliver media through state-owned companies, according to The World Trade Organization. That includes a native iTunes. So what gives?

The Chinese government commonly filters media for objectionable content before it’s released to the public, including movies, music and books. Despite the popularity of Apple’s iPod and iPhone there, China does not have its own iTunes Music Store -- and U.S. media companies blame this on the government’s restrictive policies for selling content directly to the public, according to AppleInsider.

Last year, the Chinese government took a volley of criticism after temporarily blocking access to the U.S. iTunes Store in reaction to the release of the album “Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace.” A few days later, the iTunes Store returned, but sans the “offending” pro-Tibet album.

China has a long history of blocking access to websites it feels are objectionable, and took criticism for the practice during the Beijing Olympics when foreigners found themselves unable to access the U.S. iTunes Store, among others. Blocked sites generally include anything related to Tibet or the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

The Chinese government expressed “regret” over the WTO’s ruling Tuesday. Even after the Olympics wrapped up, U.S. media companies have kept the pressure on China, including support from major music labels, publishers and movie studios.

The latest WTO ruling may now get the U.S. government itself involved, in order to ask for commercial sanctions against Chinese goods if China doesn’t rectify the situation in the next year.

While the lack of an official iTunes Music Store in China is a bummer for the Communist nation of 1 billion people, don’t cry for Apple: iTunes is currently the largest overall seller of music in the U.S., with a 25% share of the total market.