A number of analysts¹ are suggesting that the recent tariff² moves by the United States are severely³ undermining international trade rules.

 

一些分析员认为近期美国提高关税的行为严重损害国际贸易规则。

 

Observers believe that the U.S. side's threat to impose tariffs⁴ on even more Chinese products is in fact a tit-for-tat measure.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump⁵ threatened on Thursday to slap 100 billion U.S. dollars of additional tariffs on China, one day after China announced a list of U.S. products worth 50 billion dollars subject to additional 25 percent tariffs, in order to strike back at a previous U.S. tariff proposal of the same size.

 

The proposed tariffs from the U.S. side are based on a so-called Section 301 investigation⁶ launched by Trump's administration last year, into Chinese intellectual property and technology transfer practices.

 

Experts suggested the move by the U.S. violates World Trade Organization rules.

 

"First of all, the Section 301 investigation is based on the U.S. domestic trade laws. To handle global disputes by taking measures based on domestic laws does not make any sense. Secondly⁷, the U.S. is trying to propose two separate tariff plans rather than one, both based on Section 301 investigations⁸. That clearly demonstrates its intention to benefit itself at the expense of others," said Yu Miaojie, deputy head of National School of Development at Peking University.

 

Others also warned that the U.S. actions could pose a threat to the global economy.

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