By Emma Farge and Philip Blenkinsop, Reuters — 15 September 2020
The World Trade Organization found on Tuesday that the United States breached global trading rules by imposing multibillion-dollar tariffs in President Trump’s trade war with China. The WTO’s three-member panel said the US duties broke trading rules because they applied only to China and were above maximum rates agreed to by the United States. The Trump administration says the tariffs were justified because China was stealing intellectual property and forcing US companies to transfer technology. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the ruling “confirms what the Trump administration has been saying: the WTO is completely inadequate to stop China’s harmful technology practices.” The decision is just the start of a legal process that could take years to play out.