U.S. accepts China’s request for WTO talks on ‘reciprocal’ duties

The U.S. has accepted China’s request for consultations at the World Trade Organization over the Trump administration’s country-specific “reciprocal” and baseline tariffs while also defending the moves as measures related to national security. Beijing initiated the dispute earlier this month following President Trump’s announcement of a baseline 10 percent tariff on nearly all goods imports along with higher country-specific duties, which were later paused for 90 days while the baseline duty remained. The pause, however, did not apply to China,...