On April 4, the United States submitted a communication to China and the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding China’s recent request for consultations on the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs.
The US Trade Representative’s office said that China’s request for consultations under the WTO Safeguards Agreement is completely baseless because the United States’ Section 232 tariffs address a national security threat to critical industries and are not part of a safeguard action.
Consequently, there is no basis under WTO rules for China’s decision this week to raise tariffs against over $3 billion in US exports.