China to file complaint with WTO over Trump’s tariffs

China has confirmed that it will file a formal complaint with the World Trade Organization over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, and will take countermeasures to protect its rights and interests. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua described the US decision as a “wrong move”, amid concerns about the escalation of the trade war and its negative impact on global economic growth. China expressed its strong dissatisfaction and categorical rejection of the US decision to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

Before Trump took office in the White House on January 20, the International Monetary Fund warned that retaliatory tariffs could hamper economic growth prospects in Asia, increase costs and disrupt supply chains, despite the fund’s expectations that the region will remain a major driver of growth in the global economy. “Retaliatory tariffs threaten to derail growth prospects in the region, leading to longer and less efficient supply chains,” Krishna Srinivasan, the IMF’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific region, said at a systemic risk forum in Cebu, Philippines, in November 2024. The warning comes amid growing concerns over US President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to impose 60% tariffs on Chinese goods and at least 10% on imports from other countries. Reactions have been mounting in a number of capitals around the world in recent days over US President Donald Trump’s assertions that he would impose tariffs of varying and high rates on a number of imports. The European Union has vowed to “respond firmly” if the United States imposes tariffs on EU countries. Bloomberg quoted Trump as saying that he would “definitely” impose tariffs on the EU, and that the European Commission and member states will discuss the possibility during a trade ministerial meeting in Warsaw on Tuesday. A spokesman for the European Commission said the use of tariffs was “painful for all parties,” and the EU regretted Trump’s decision to impose them on Canada, Mexico and China. Trump’s tariffs on China came into effect on Monday, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday, after his conversation with the US president, that the proposed tariffs between the United States and Canada would be temporarily suspended for at least 30 days, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency. The agreement, according to US media, stipulated the suspension of 25% tariffs for a month, in addition to postponing the imposition of 10% tariffs on energy imports from Canada, which were scheduled to be implemented today. Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced their agreement to strengthen border controls in response to pressure from Trump to take tougher action against illegal immigration and drug trafficking.