WTO rules against Trump China tariffs

The World Trade Organization has ruled in favor of China, saying President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods violates international regulations for trade.  The WTO panel says the U.S. could not prove the tariffs were necessary, but the ruling also does not force the U.S. to stop the tariffs.

A 34-billion-dollar trade action was announced by the U.S. in June 2018, followed by a 200-billion-dollar trade action in September of that year. 

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer responded to the ruling, saying the WTO panel report confirms what the Trump Administration has been saying for four years, that the WTO is completely inadequate to stop China’s harmful technology practices.  Lighthizer says the panel did not dispute the extensive evidence of intellectual property theft by China, and its decision shows that the WTO provides no remedy for such misconduct.

Lighthizer claims the WTO report has no effect on the Phase One Agreement between the United States and China, which includes new, enforceable commitments by China to prevent the theft of American technology.