China calls Trump’s tariffs in WTO complaints “discriminatory”

China accuses the United States of “unfounded and false allegations” about its role in the fentanyl trade to justify tariffs on Chinese products.

The day after U.S. President Donald Trump raised border taxes on Chinese goods by 10%, the complaint was raised with the World Trade Organization, who said the measure was designed to address the influx of illegal drugs.

China said in the document that the measures were “discriminatory and protectionist” and violated world trade rules.

The dispute is due to Trump’s tariff plan – he said he wants to see taxes imposed on all foreign goods nationwide – creating uncertainty in the global trade landscape.

Trump said the tariffs would encourage companies to make products in the United States and repeatedly worry about the size of the trade deficit.

But his actions against China—he threatened to expand to other countries, including Canada, Mexico and Europe—caused people’s impact on their economy, including in the United States, as businesses insist on investing or through , responded to trade uncertainty about new fees for customers.

U.S. imports hit the highest record in December’s record as businesses deal with the threat of tariffs to ensure competition for foreign-made toys, cell phones and computers.

The value of goods brought to the U.S. has jumped 4% since November, the highest shipment since its founding record in 1992, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The rise has also led to the largest trade deficit or gap between exports and imports in the past two years.

The tariffs have also sparked political tensions, including retaliation from China, which responded to Trump’s tariffs on U.S. goods and Google’s antitrust investigations, among other measures.

The speed at which China filed complaints to the WTO shows that Beijing is ready for the trade struggle.

Bloomberg also reported on Wednesday that the country’s antitrust regulator is preparing to investigate Apple’s policies and app store fees and reach the company’s stock.

Trump’s moves – including tax-free treatment for ordering parcels worth less than $800 – were a major “shock” for some companies, such as Shein and Temu, as they undermine the ability to offer super low prices. Mark Williams, chief Chinese economist.

But he said he believes China generally believes that the impact of Trump’s tariffs will not be too much damaged.

“For the broader Chinese economy, this is absolutely manageable,” he said.

The WTO process provides the United States and China with 60 days to resolve their disputes through consultation, when China has the right to request a group of judges to make a decision.

But it is not clear how effective it will be.

The ultimate WTO panel to resolve the trade dispute remains unfunctional as the United States refuses to approve the appointment of a new judge to the agency.

The United States also overlooked previous WTO discoveries that early tariffs on steel and aluminum during Trump’s first term were against the rules.

China ranked the largest in December’s commodity deficit, sending US$25.3 billion in price.

The EU is the target of Trump’s tariff threat, with the second gap.

By comparison, the U.S. and the UK have a surplus of $2.3 billion.

Overall, the U.S. trade deficit, including services, grew 17% last year to $918.4 billion, as imports are faster than exports.

The Ministry of Commerce said that the trade deficit for goods and services was $98.4 billion last December, the highest since March 2022.