Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are concerned about the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and their impact on the multilateral trading system. Chairman of the WTO General Council Saqer Abdullah Almosbel (Saudi Arabia) informed the heads of delegations on Tuesday 8 April that he would be holding consultations in the coming weeks with countries that so wished. He has received numerous requests from countries wondering how Donald Trump’s decisions will affect work at the WTO.
According to several of them, these announcements make it even more urgent to reform the organisation.
Last week, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said she was “deeply concerned” about this decline in trade relations and the potential escalation that would worsen the situation. She called on governments to manage the pressures resulting from tariffs “responsibly”.
For the time being, Canada has already referred the issue of US tariffs on motor vehicle imports to the WTO. China, for its part, has attacked Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs. In both cases, the request is for consultations with the United States. If no satisfactory result is achieved within 60 days, China, like Canada, may request that a panel be opened to settle the dispute. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)