Donald Trump tariffs leave WTO adrift in eye of the storm

The World Trade Organization’s entire mission is overseeing global trade, but US President Donald Trump’s tariff offensive has left it adrift.

Cedric Dupont of the Geneva Graduate Institute, an international relations professor and an expert in trade policies, law and the WTO, told AFP that Trump’s moves had put the global trade body centre-stage but powerless to act.

Why is the WTO being undermined? - Dupont: “The basic idea of the WTO, to guarantee predictability in world trade, is totally ruined by Donald Trump’s attitude. Everyone is starting to wonder what is the point of having invested so much time in trade negotiations.

“It finds itself somewhat in the eye of the storm. The people working at the WTO must feel quite helpless and a little dejected.” - Trump increased tariffs before; is the WTO more ready now? - Dupont: “The WTO has been weakened for several years. This worsened during the first Trump administration, as the legal settlement of disputes was paralysed because there are not enough judges on the appellate body” − their appointment being blocked by Washington.

“With no avenues of appeal any more, procedures cannot be followed through, whereas at the start of the first Trump administration, this possibility was always available.

“The WTO is now even more helpless and can no longer resolve trade disputes involving the United States.

“What was strong about the WTO was that it allowed trade retaliation to bring its members back on track. This framework seems to have disappeared completely.” - Does the US tariff offensive sink the multilateral trading system? - Dupont: “The future of multilateralism in trade is clearly in question. Essentially it will depend not on the United States, but on other countries: to what extent are other countries going to continue working together within the WTO? “There might be danger for the WTO with an inflationary spiral of customs duties, but maybe it’s also an opportunity for other countries to show this is not how problems should be resolved.

“However, if member states do not provide the impetus, the WTO will not move. The organisation itself has very little room for manoeuvre, unlike many UN agencies, such as the World Health organisation (WHO); or the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.” - Are tariff wars new for the WTO? - Dupont: “There have always been customs threats. The WTO’s goal is to make sure protectionist moves are only temporary. The idea is to push countries to follow the rules − to maintain the organisation’s legitimacy. But it is unclear whether this will actually happen under the second Trump administration.” - Could Trump withdraw from the WTO? - Dupont: “I would sooner bet on him not doing so because the WTO is not expensive for the United States. The WTO’s overall budget is ridiculously low ($227 million in 2024) compared to the WHO ($3.4 billion in 2024).

“Trump might say that it doesn’t cost him much − and besides, he can depart from the rules and do whatever he wants, in some ways.

“The WTO can’t hurt him, because the appellate body is paralysed: there’s nothing that’s going to be legally binding. I think he’s pretty comfortable with that.” apo/rjm/yad PRECIOUS-Trump tariff worries set gold on course for eighth straight weekly gain Feb 21 (Reuters) - Gold prices were little changed on Friday but remained on track for an eighth successive weekly gain, driven by concerns over US President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, which could spark trade wars and stoke inflation. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was up 0.1% to $2,941.25 an ounce, as of 0018 GMT. Bullion rose about 2% so far this week and scaled an all-time high of $2,954.69 on Thursday.  US gold futures were steady at $2,956.60.  Federal Reserve officials are taking note of what they see as rising inflation risks and the uncertain impact of Trump’s trade, immigration and other policies.  “Going forward, I consider it is appropriate to hold the federal funds rate in place for some time, given the balance of risks that we face right now,” Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler said on Thursday.

 Bullion is seen as a safeguard against geopolitical risks and inflation, but higher interest rates dampen the non-yielding asset’s appeal.

 Earlier this week, Trump said he will announce fresh tariffs over the next month or sooner, adding lumber and forest products to previously announced plans to impose duties on imported cars, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.

 Since taking office on January 20, Trump has imposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports and a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium.

 Meanwhile, gold exports from Switzerland rose year-on-year in January as supplies to the US soared to the highest in at least 13 years and offset lower deliveries to top consumers China and India, Swiss customs data showed on Thursday.  Spot silver was steady at $32.93 an ounce. Platinum fell 0.2% to $976.42, and palladium firmed 0.4% to $981.29.

Agencies