World Trade Organization

February 6, 2025 12:41 PM

China challenges Trump tariffs at WTO, package shippers warn of chaos

China filed a World Trade Organization complaint on Wednesday against U.S. President Donald Trump's new 10% tariff on Chinese imports and his cancellation of a duty-free exemption for low-value packages, arguing the actions are "protectionist" and break WTO rules. Beijing's request for U.S. trade consultations came as confusion reigned among shippers and retailers over Trump's closure of the "de minimis" exemption for package imports valued under $800 and widely used by e-commerce firms includi...

WTO may seek to reappoint chief ahead of Trump presidency

The World Trade Organization plans a special meeting of its top decision-making body later this month where a call could be made on the reappointment of its Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a document showed on Tuesday. Trade sources said such a meeting appeared to be a route that could fast-track the months-long appointment process to avoid any risk of it getting blocked by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, whose teams and allies have criticised both Okonjo-Iweala and the trade watchdog ...