China condemned tariffs imposed or threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump during a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting on Tuesday, warning that such “tariff shocks” could destabilize the global trade system.
The U.S. dismissed the concerns as hypocritical, with U.S. envoy David Bisbee criticizing China’s economic policies.
Trump has announced 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to respond with retaliatory measures and a WTO dispute against Washington. At the closed-door meeting, China’s ambassador to the WTO Li Chenggang said, “These ‘Tariff Shocks’ heighten economic uncertainty, disrupt global trade, and risk domestic inflation, market distortion, or even global recession.”
He added, “Worse, the U.S. unilateralism threatens to upend the rules-based multilateral trading system.”
Bisbee rejected China’s stance, calling its economy a “predatory non-market economic system.” He stated, “It is now more than two decades since China joined the WTO, and it is clear that China has not lived up to the bargain that it struck with WTO Members when it acceded.”
He further accused Beijing of violating WTO rules, saying, “During this period, China has produced a long record of violating, disregarding, and evading WTO rules.”
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala urged for calm, stating, “The WTO was created precisely to manage times like these—to provide a space for dialogue, prevent conflicts from spiraling, and support an open, predictable trading environment.”
The WTO General Council meeting, which started Tuesday and continues Wednesday, is the first time that rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China have been formally addressed at the top decision-making body.
Beyond a direct challenge to Washington, some delegates saw China’s intervention as an attempt to position itself as a defender of WTO rules, which could strengthen its alliances in ongoing global trade negotiations. The U.S.-China trade dispute has been ongoing for years, with Beijing accusing Washington of breaking WTO rules, while the U.S. argues that China does not merit its “developing country” status, which grants special trade privileges.
While Trump’s administration has considered disengagement from global organizations, the WTO has not yet been a primary focus. However, incoming U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has signaled a tougher approach, calling the WTO “deeply flawed.”
