In a declaration to mark the 30th anniversary of the institution under attack from US President Donald Trump, they reaffirm their support for a predictable global trading system.
In the face of these difficulties, “our collective commitment to the principles of the WTO and to maintaining open trade is more crucial than ever”, they said in a communication dated Wednesday and relayed at a meeting on Thursday.
In particular, they deplore “the rise of protectionism”. Neither the United States nor any other EU member state is associated with this declaration, which is led by Switzerland and Singapore.
Several countries, including China, have accused the United States of violating the rules of the WTO in the series of tariffs announced by President Trump. On Thursday, Washington repeated to the WTO in Geneva that it was merely applying the national security clause laid down by its members. A response that did not convince Beijing.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
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