US trade tariffs on China 'inconsistent' with WTO rules

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel said Tuesday that additional US tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018 were "inconsistent" with the organization's rules.

It recommended in a report the US brings its measures into conformity with obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) signed in 1994.

"The Panel is very much aware of the wider context in which the WTO system currently operates, which is one reflecting a range of unprecedented global trade tensions," it said.

US President Donald Trump decided to implement additional tariffs on several Chinese imports in 2018, including agricultural and automotive products and technological parts.

In April of that year, China requested consultations from the WTO about the tariffs.

The Chinese trade ministry then announced that two rivals agreed to remove additional bilateral tariffs at the beginning of 2020.

Trump and Deputy Chinese Prime Minister Liu Hi signed the first phase of a bilateral trade agreement Jan. 15 at the White House.