Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the  Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) recently highlighted the measures to restrict trade introduced by members of the Organization.  Writing in the WTO Trade Monitoring Update, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is confident of the resilience of world trade despite protectionist pressures, economic fragmentation and geopolitical uncertainty.  More than 99 trade restricting measures have been introduced over the past year although this was more than balanced by 69 trade-facilitating concessions introduced by member nations.  World trade is impeded by policy, subsidies and import restrictions including anti-dumping duties and contrived phyto-sanitary restrictions to protect local agriculture and livestock production.

China, a relatively recent member of the WTO applies regulations and policies of the Organization to their specific benefit.  China is currently retaliating against the European Union for initiating an investigation into importation of electric vehicles that the E.U. claims are subsidized.  As a counter measure China has initiated an anti-dumping probe directed at E.U. pork together with unjustified restrictions based on African swine fever that is endemic in China.  This nation has also targeted specific E.U. products including brandy by imposing punitive tariffs.

The WTO contrives to maintain a level playing field for importers and exporters to the benefit of economies in both industrialized and developing nations. China has a history of disturbing the equilibrium in trade through self-serving measures intended to benefit state-supported industries.