WTO says Trump's metals tariffs broke rules as U.S. rejects findings

[former9thward]

The U.S. violated international trade rules when it imposed steel and aluminum tariffs under former President Donald Trump, the World Trade Organization said, a decision Washington rejected and stated won’t lead to a removal of the duties.

The 25% tariffs on global steel imports and 10% import taxes on global aluminum, which Trump imposed on national-security grounds, violated basic WTO rules, a dispute-settlement panel said in a series of rulings published Friday.

The WTO panel said U.S. national-security claims “are not justified” because they were not “taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations.”

The U.S. “strongly rejected the flawed interpretation and conclusions” in the report and will not remove its duties as a result of the rulings, Adam Hodge, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative, said in a statement.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/12/10/business/economy-business/wto-ruling-us-china-tariffs/

[David__77]

1. Maybe US should leave WTO.

US may surmise for national security reasons it cannot continue as participant in the relevant WTO trade agreements.

[former9thward]

2. If their rules infringe on our national security, I agree.

And both steel and aluminum are certainly important for national security.