US angered as WTO rules in China's favour in tariffs case

Geneva, Switzerland

The World Trade Organisation's ruling on Tuesday in favour of China in the tariff case has sparked outrage in Washington.

The organisation upheld a complaint by China over additional US duties on some $250 billion of Chinese goods. It agreed that the United States breached global trading rules by imposing multibillion-dollar tariffs on China.

Shortly after the verdict, US President Donald Trump commented on it and said ''US will do something about the WTO because they've let China get away with murder." He has previously described the WTO as "horrible" and biased towards China, often threatening to quit.

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The Trump administration says its tariffs imposed two years ago on more than $200 billion in Chinese goods were justified because China was stealing intellectual property and forcing US companies to transfer technology for access to China's markets.

But the WTO's three-member panel said the US duties broke trading rules because they applied only to China and were above maximum rates agreed to by the United States. Washington had not then adequately explained why its measures were a justified exception, the panel concluded.

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US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said "this panel report confirms what the Trump administration has been saying for four years: the WTO is completely inadequate to stop China's harmful technology practices." 

China's Commerce Ministry said Beijing supported the multilateral trading system and respected WTO rules and rulings, and hoped Washington would do the same.

The decision will have little immediate effect on the US tariffs and is just the start of a legal process that could take years to play out, ultimately leading to the WTO approving retaliatory measures if it is upheld, moves that China has already taken on its own.

The United States is likely to appeal Tuesday's ruling. That would put the case into a legal void, however, because Washington has already blocked the appointment of judges to the WTO's appellate body, preventing it from convening the minimum number required to hear cases.

During a two-year trade war with Beijing, Trump threatened tariffs on nearly all Chinese imports, more than $500 billion, before the two countries signed a "Phase 1" trade deal in January. Extra tariffs are still in place on some $370 billion worth of Chinese goods, and $62.16 billion in duties have been collected since July 2018.