The WTO must reign over US tariffs

The World Trade Organization agreed on Wednesday to hear complaints from a large number of countries about new US tariffs on steel and aluminum, as well as those from Washington regarding retaliatory rights.

The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) has decided to create panels of experts to review the decision of US President Donald Trump to strike a Long list of countries with 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminum.

The ORD will create separate panels for complaints from the European Union, China, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Russia and Turkey, after the United States stated that they would not accept a single panel to hear them all.

The ORD on Wednesday accepted Washington's request to ask three panels to rule on the legality of retaliatory tariffs imposed by Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union.

The United States has also accepted an appeal by the United States for the establishment of a task force to examine "certain Chinese measures relating to the protection of intellectual property rights".

Trump has justified high tariffs by saying that the massive influx of imports into the United States is threatening national security, marking a break with the US-led free trade agenda for decades. .

Washington has invoked a rarely used exception in the WTO, which allows a country to take "whatever action it deems necessary for the protection of its essential security interests."

Speaking at Wednesday's meeting, US ambassador, Dennis Shea, warned of "risks to the WTO dispute settlement system when". one member challenges measures taken for the protection of essential security interests ".

The delegation of the United States also warned that any review of measures taken for national security reasons would undermine the "legitimacy" and "even the viability of the WTO as a whole".

The tariff dispute has degenerated into a total trade war between the United States and China and increasing trade tensions between Washington and many of its traditional allies.

The decision to establish the panels follows a series of fruitless consultations between the parties and marks an escalation in the ongoing clash at the WTO around Trump's controversial trade policies.

The first panel requests were rejected last month, prompting parties to submit a second application.

Under the WTO regulations, the parties to a dispute may block a first application for the creation of an arbitration panel, but if the parties submit a second application, it is virtually assured that he will be satisfied.

The creation of a DSB committee usually triggers a long and often expensive legal battle, which sometimes takes years to resolve.