Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 10/22/18


The United States has requested that a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel review retaliatory measures by China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, according to media reports.

At the same time, China, the EU, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Russia and Turkey have asked the WTO to investigate the American tariffs. The requests will be considered at the Oct. 29 meeting of the WTO dispute settlement body, Reuters reported.

The series of retaliatory tariffs followed U.S. tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports imposed by the Trump administration. Reuters said the dispute procedure begins with a 60-day window for talks to try to reach a settlement, but the agenda for the Oct. 29 meeting indicates that those talks have failed.

The United States has said the steel and aluminum tariffs are allowed under WTO’s national security exemption, according to a Bloomberg report, which characterized that argument as a rarely used national security loophole in global trade rules.

Reuters noted that WTO adjudication can take years, with the process further complicated by the United States’ move to block appointments of new judges for the body’s appeals system.

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