Geneva (TDI): China filed a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint on Wednesday against US President Donald Trump’s new 10% tariff on Chinese imports and his cancellation of a duty-free exemption for low-value packages, arguing the actions are protectionist and break WTO rules.
China’s request for US trade consultations comes amid confusion among shippers and retailers over President Trump’s closure of the “de minimis” exemption for package imports valued under $800 and widely used by e-commerce firms including Shein, Temu and Amazon.
A Customs and Border Protection official said all small packages from China and Hong Kong required to have customs entries on file prior to arrival and there was the possibility for some cargo to be sent back without this paperwork, according to Reuters.
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The WTO stated that China requested consultations with the United States regarding the tariffs.
China argues in the document that Trump’s new tariffs aimed at halting the flow of fentanyl opioids and their precursor chemicals to the United States are imposed on the basis of baseless and false allegations concerning China.
It said the duties are discriminatory, only applying to commodities of Chinese origin, and are inconsistent with the US’s WTO obligations.
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The request for consultations is the start of a dispute process that could lead to a judgement that Trump’s duties violated trade rules in the same manner that a 2020 WTO ruling found that his first-term China tariffs violated trade regulations.
