The U.S. filed a WTO dispute to save jobs — by increasing imports from China. Here’s why.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/07/26/the-u-s-filed-a-wto-dispute-to-save-jobs-by-increasing-imports-from-china-heres-why-the-wto-helps-u-s-companies/

In the latest salvo against free trade, Donald Trump argued that the World Trade Organization is a disaster and fails to protect U.S. interests — and said he might pull the country out of the agreement altogether.

And yet a recent WTO trade dispute involving China adds an interesting twist. The U.S. case, filed in July, alleges that China applies an export tax to mineral products, in violation of international law.

In this case, the United States wants to make sure China exports more — not less — of these materials because U.S. jobs depend on these imports. This clearly runs counter to the anti-globalization rhetoric we’ve seen this U.S. presidential election season.

Law and order: the allegations

The United States claims China imposes illegal export taxes of 5 to 20 percent on nine raw materials — antimony, cobalt, copper, graphite, lead, magnesia, talc, tantalum and tin. U.S. manufacturing companies rely on these products to make high-tech goods such as semiconductors, medical devices and aerospace products, as well as the batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles.

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