GENEVA, April 9. /TASS/. China’s mission to the World Trade Organization said countries should use WTO mechanisms to resolve all trade disputes with the US.
"As a staunch supporter of the multilateral trading system, China firmly believes all trade disputes should be resolved through the WTO's established mechanisms. Now is not the time for unilateral actions, but for unity," the Geneva-based mission said in a statement.
"We call upon all members to stand together in safeguarding the rules-based multilateral trading system we have collectively built over decades," the statement said.
The mission criticized some EU member countries, saying they "hope to evade the storm" by unilaterally lowering the tariffs.
"The so-called ‘reciprocal tariff’ has set the very architecture of the multilateral trading system ablaze," the statement said. "But the reality is, no one is safe when the house itself is burning."
Any tariff reduction measures must not come at the expense of the legitimate interests of other WTO members, as this could "trigger a chain reaction and further destabilize the multilateral trading system," according to the mission.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier said almost 70 nations reached out to Washington asking for talks to ease the recent US tariffs. According to the official, these discussions could go on until June.
On April 2, Trump announced he was introducing tariffs on products from 185 countries and territories, setting the minimum rate at 10%. Some countries were given individual trade barriers, as is the case with China, for which the tariff was set at 34%. Later, the US president raised the total tariff for Chinese products to 104% and said it would be levied until the country struck a trade deal with the US.