Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2169238/china-and-europe-join-wto-challenge-trump-metals-tariffs
China/ Diplomacy

China and Europe join WTO challenge to Trump metals tariffs, opening new front in trade war

  • There are fears a showdown over steel and aluminium tariffs could lead the US to exit the World Trade Organisation
  • Opponents want a WTO dispute panel to investigate the US ‘national security’ justification for the tariffs
There are fears a showdown over steel and aluminium tariffs could lead the US to exit the World Trade Organisation Opponents want a WTO dispute panel to investigate the US ‘national security’ justification for the tariffs

China and the EU have joined a group of countries asking the World Trade Organisation to investigate the Trump administration’s decision to impose metals tariffs on national security grounds, creating a new front in a trade war that has shaken global markets.

The move sets the stage for a showdown at the WTO that some fear could either lead to a US exit or a flood of new protectionist measures invoking what has until now been a rarely used national security loophole in global trade rules.