Trump threatens to pull US from WTO 'if we have to'

Mon, 20 Jan 2020

Trump threatens to pull US from WTO 'if we have to'

News24
14 Aug 2019, 07:14 GMT+10

President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to pull the United States out of the World Trade Organization if conditions are not improved.

"We will leave if we have to," Trump told a cheering audience of workers at a Shell chemical plant in Pennsylvania.

"We know that they have been screwing us for years and it's not going to happen again," he said.

Trump has made the WTO the target of many previous attacks, and threatened before to withdraw, claiming unfair treatment toward the US and saying Washington does not have to abide by WTO rulings.

He is especially critical about the terms granted to China when it joined the organization, given US complaints about Chinese theft of American technology.

But the United States in fact has a successful track record of winning disputes mediated by the global trading body.

While calling for reforms to the institution's rules, the Trump administration also has effectively paralyzed its work.

By blocking naming of new members to the appellate panel part of the Dispute Settlement Body that arbitrates disputes, the system will grind to a halt by the end of the year.

Chad Bown, a trade expert with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the moves weakening the WTO have done "lasting damage," not all of which can be reversed.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Austin Globe.

More Information

56 ℉

Fair in Austin/Mabry Ang

United States

Section

China powering into the nuclear age, 65-years strong

BEIJING, China - There are currently eleven nuclear power units under construction in China, the largest number of nuclear power ...

Trump trial arguments get airing on Sunday talk shows

WASHINGTON - Key players in the impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump and his defense argued sharply Sunday whether ...

Trump gives supporters recount of running commentary of assassination

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump has recounted minute-by-minute details of the air raid that killed Iranian General Qasem ...

Foreign minister in North Korea removed from office

PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has reportedly been replaced. The NK News portal broke ...

Ken Starr who spent years targeting Clinton, joins Trump defense team

WASHINGTON, DC - High profile lawyers Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr have been brought in to work with the legal ...

Jailed U.S. citizen who demonstrated against Egyptian coup is dead

CAIRO, Egypt - The death this week of Mustafa Kassem, an Egyptian-American imprisoned in Egypt after an unfair trial, underscores ...

Texas

Section

Landry holds off Ancer to win The American Express

Andrew Landry recovered from a few late mistakes and held off a spirited charge by Mexico's Abraham Ancer to win ...

Aldridge, DeRozan lift Spurs to 107-102 win over Heat

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points and DeMar DeRozan added 20 to pace a balanced San Antonio attack as the Spurs ...

Bucks host Bulls, aiming for seventh straight win

The Milwaukee Bucks will go for their seventh win in a row when they host the Chicago Bulls on Monday ...

Hawks look to break home losing streak vs. Raptors

The Atlanta Hawks enjoy being a part of the NBA's Martin Luther King Day festivities, commemorating their native son. But ...

No. 12 West Virginia looks to rebound at home vs. Texas

The travails and challenges of playing on the road in the Big 12 Conference caught up with No. 12 West ...

Chiefs' Jones, Titans' Humphries active for AFC title game

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones will suit up in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the visiting Tennessee Titans. ...

Movie Review

Arrival