According to a report from the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), the World Trade Organization (WTO) disproportionately targets America’s trade enforcement laws while allowing trade violations by China, among others, to go unchecked.
“As this report shows, in decision after decision, the WTO has ruled against the U.S. and weakened our laws designed to fight back against subsidies and illegal dumping,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said. “Rather than providing American steel companies with a way to crack down on Chinese cheating, the WTO has undermined the tools our businesses need to defend themselves and their workers. We need a reset of our trade relationship with China, starting with a reset at the WTO. This is something I’ve called for, and I’m encouraged by the news from the White House this week that they’re preparing a plan to bypass the WTO and take direct action against China and other countries where we have trade disputes.”
Brown also called on the Trump Administration to reset the U.S. trade relationship with China.
The report, titled “How the WTO Undermines U.S. Trade Remedy Enforcement,” said the United States has been the target of 58 percent of the WTO’s decisions in trade remedy disputes. The United States is one of 164 WTO members. The WTO also ruled against the United States more than 90 percent of the time.
“Given that many WTO decisions, and in particular rulings by its appellate body, have stunningly overreached and unfairly targeted U.S. trade enforcement measures, we must consider all of our options at this moment. Factory workers in Ohio and across America deserve better,” Scott Paul, AAM president, said.
“We thank Senator Brown for his leadership on securing a trade policy that will benefit American manufacturing and our workers. As the trade agenda of the Senate and Administration begins to take shape, bolstering our trade enforcement tools and reigning in the WTO should be two of our top priorities,” Paul added.
The report details how WTO decisions have weakened U.S. trade enforcement laws and made it more difficult to crack down on countries, like China, who violate international trade. The report identifies specific industries, including the steel industry, that have been harmed by WTO decisions.