China seeks to join Brazil's WTO challenge against U.S. forced-labour tariffs

Beijing lodged a request with the WTO on Monday, seeking to join the consultations Brazil initiated over U.S. forced-labour tariffs that may rise to 37.5 percent. The Chinese filing, submitted in Geneva, claims a substantial commercial stake in the case and warns that Washington could apply comparable restrictions to Chinese merchandise, potentially covering all Chinese exports to the U.S. market aside from certain exemptions.

In its argument, China contends that the additional duties distort competition for its products sold in America. The move was initially. Paulo and later. The request has not yet appeared in the WTO’s public records, and it focuses on the impact on Chinese exports rather than the treatment of Brazilian goods. China has been contesting Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 at the WTO since 2018, asserting that the statute permits unilateral penalties without multilateral approval.