China challenges US tariffs at WTO

Beijing on Monday filed a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge to President Trump’s proposed tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, according to multiple reports.

Chinese Ministry of Commerce threatened to file the complaint last week, Reuters noted.  

“We are unable to fight equally,” Tu Xingquan, director of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, told The Associated Press.

{mosads}The Trump administration last week proposed 10 percent tariffs on a list of $200 billion in Chinese goods. Though the list has not been made public yet, it could be approved by the fall. 

China has tried to solicit support from Europe, South Korea and other governments in resisting Trump’s trade policies, according to the AP. 

China’s WTO challenge comes as Trump ramps up tariffs against historic U.S. allies such as Canada, Mexico and the European Union, as well as competitors including China. 

The U.S. and China have pledged to levy tariffs on another $16 billion of each other’s goods this year. 

Many U.S. industries, including agriculture and manufacturing, have said steep retaliatory tariffs will hurt American workers and damage the U.S. economy. Some companies have announced plans to move their production abroad to avoid the tariffs.