US, China trade war is on in Geneva as diplomats take a dig at each other

Trump has proposed tariffs on up to $150 billion in Chinese imports as punishment for what his administration sees as widespread violations of U.S. intellectual property rights

Just a month after President Trump upended the global order with threats of tariffs against allies and adversaries alike, his ambassador to the World Trade Organization took aim at both China, a main focus of Washington’s ire, and the global trade body itself.

China’s “trade-distorting policies” represent a “threat to the international trading system,” Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Dennis Shea said in Geneva on Friday during his first public comments on the matter. China’s technology transfer policies harm every WTO member and industry that “relies on technology for maintaining competitiveness in world markets.”

Trump has proposed tariffs on up to $150 billion