GENEVA (AP) — The World Trade Organization says it’s making a “detailed analysis” of President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion worth of Chinese imports amid rising concerns of a trade war.

The comments from WTO spokesman Fernando Puchol came after U.S. authorities said they would put new tariffs on Chinese goods over its complaint that Beijing steals or forces foreign companies to hand over technology. The U.S. also imposed new tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum.

With the showdown amounting to major pressure from the leaders of the world’s largest economy, Puchol said the 164-member trade body will make a statement later Friday “when it has all the relevant information on the table.”

He told a U.N. briefing: “We are monitoring the situation which at this moment is still very fluid. Many things are happening in a short space of time.”

Trump on Thursday said the WTO was “a disaster for us” and insisted its arbitrations were “unfair” to the U.S.

Puchol added: “We are aware of those comments, but we don’t have anything to say about it.”</s>Fears of a global trade war have intensified as US president Donald Trump announced new tariffs on Chinese imports on Thursday, doubling-down on the protectionist politics that underpinned his presidential campaign.

A day before steep tariffs on steel and aluminium imports were scheduled to come into effect, Mr Trump announced new taxes on up to $60 billion (€49 billion) worth of Chinese goods. He also unveiled plans to curb Chinese investment into the US.

While the previously announced steel and aluminium tariffs unveiled earlier this month targeted all exporters into the US, the latest round of tariffs is aimed at China.

US officials have identified 10 key areas that will be targeted, including aerospace, robotics and the biopharma industries. The US treasury department has been tasked with coming up with a specific list within the next 15 days.

Stock markets moved sharply lower on the announcement, which has prompted fears of a looming trade battle between the world’s two largest economies.

Signing the order on Thursday, Mr Trump said the tariffs would “make us a much stronger, richer nation”.

Describing America’s trade deficit with China as “the largest deficit of any country in the history of our world”, Mr Trump said the new measures were about fairness for the American worker.

But there was good news for European exporters, after the Trump administration confirmed that EU steel and aluminium will be exempted from new US tariffs announced recently. The development comes on the back of this week’s visit by EU trade commissioner Celia Malmstrom to Washington.

Beijing is expected to respond aggressively to the latest trade measures adopted by the Trump administration, unveiling its own tariffs on US imports. Among the US exports to China that could be affected are agricultural products including soybeans, a move that would hit American farmers.

The announcement of fresh tariffs comes on foot of an inquiry launched by Trump last August into alleged unfair trading practices by China.

The investigation found that China was exploiting laws governing joint venture requirements and licensing rules to pressurise US companies to transfer technology to Chinese companies, the White House said. “China’s unfair acts, policies, and practices cause tens of billions in damages to the United States each year,” an official said.

The trade move could jeopardise co-operation between Washington and Beijing on other matters, particularly foreign policy.

Trump is due to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the coming months. While Trump did not contact the Chinese leader Xi Jinping ahead of his announcement of a possible meeting, he is likely to enlist Beijing’s help as he embarks on the biggest diplomatic challenges of his presidency.

Meanwhile, one of the president’s longest-serving lawyers, John Dowd, resigned on Thursday amid reported differences between the two men on the team’s legal approach to the ongoing Mueller investigation.</s>THE WHITE HOUSE

 Office of the Press Secretary

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 March 22, 2018

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY

 THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

 THE SENIOR ADVISOR FOR POLICY

 THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC

 POLICY

 THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL

 SECURITY AFFAIRS

 THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR HOMELAND

 SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM

 

 SUBJECT: Actions by the United States Related to the Section 301 Investigation of China's Laws, Policies, Practices, or Actions Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation

 

 

 On August 14, 2017, I directed the United States Trade Representative (Trade Representative) to determine whether to investigate China's laws, policies, practices, or actions that may be unreasonable or discriminatory and that may be harming American intellectual property rights, innovation, or technology development. On August 18, 2017, the Trade Representative initiated an investigation under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the "Act") (19 U.S.C. 2411).

 

 During its investigation, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) consulted with appropriate advisory committees and the interagency section 301 Committee. The Trade Representative also requested consultations with the Government of China, under section 303 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2413). The USTR held a public hearing on October 10, 2017, and two rounds of public written comment periods. The USTR received approximately 70 written submissions from academics, think tanks, law firms, trade associations, and companies.

 

 The Trade Representative has advised me that the investigation supports the following findings: 

 

 First, China uses foreign ownership restrictions, including joint venture requirements, equity limitations, and other investment restrictions, to require or pressure technology transfer from U.S. companies to Chinese entities. China also uses administrative review and licensing procedures to require or pressure technology transfer, which, inter alia, undermines the value of U.S. investments and technology and weakens the global competitiveness of U.S. firms.

 

 Second, China imposes substantial restrictions on, and intervenes in, U.S. firms' investments and activities, including through restrictions on technology licensing terms. These restrictions deprive U.S. technology owners of the ability to bargain and set market-based terms for technology transfer. As a result, U.S. companies seeking to license technologies must do so on terms that unfairly favor Chinese recipients.

 

 Third, China directs and facilitates the systematic investment in, and acquisition of, U.S. companies and assets by Chinese companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies and intellectual property and to generate large-scale technology transfer in industries deemed important by Chinese government industrial plans. 

 

 Fourth, China conducts and supports unauthorized intrusions into, and theft from, the computer networks of U.S. companies. These actions provide the Chinese government with unauthorized access to intellectual property, trade secrets, or confidential business information, including technical data, negotiating positions, and sensitive and proprietary internal business communications, and they also support China's strategic development goals, including its science and technology advancement, military modernization, and economic development.

 

 It is hereby directed as follows:

 

 Section 1. Tariffs. (a) The Trade Representative should take all appropriate action under section 301 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2411) to address the acts, policies, and practices of China that are unreasonable or discriminatory and that burden or restrict U.S. commerce. The Trade Representative shall consider whether such action should include increased tariffs on goods from China. 

 

 (b) To advance the purposes of subsection (a) of this section, the Trade Representative shall publish a proposed list of products and any intended tariff increases within 15 days of the date of this memorandum. After a period of notice and comment in accordance with section 304(b) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2414(b)), and after consultation with appropriate agencies and committees, the Trade Representative shall, as appropriate and consistent with law, publish a final list of products and tariff increases, if any, and implement any such tariffs.

 

 Sec. 2. WTO Dispute Settlement. (a) The Trade Representative shall, as appropriate and consistent with law, pursue dispute settlement in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address China's discriminatory licensing practices. Where appropriate and consistent with law, the Trade Representative should pursue this action in cooperation with other WTO members to address China's unfair trade practices.

 (b) Within 60 days of the date of this memorandum, the Trade Representative shall report to me his progress under subsection (a) of this section.

 

 Sec. 3. Investment Restrictions. (a) The Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary), in consultation with other senior executive branch officials the Secretary deems appropriate, shall propose executive branch action, as appropriate and consistent with law, and using any available statutory authority, to address concerns about investment in the United States directed or facilitated by China in industries or technologies deemed important to the United States.

 

 (b) Within 60 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary shall report to me his progress under subsection (a) of this section.

 

 Sec. 4. Publication. The Trade Representative is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

 

 

 

 DONALD J. TRUMP</s>WASHINGTON—The Trump administration’s anti-China tariffs could hit $50 billion of Chinese imports, said an individual with knowledge of the plans.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to make an announcement at 12:30 p.m. on tariffs and investment restrictions aimed at China designed to get Beijing to halt practices the U.S. believes violate U.S. intellectual property rights.</s>She’s not usually known for begging for money, but here is the torrential Stormy Daniels, née Stephanie Clifford, on the cyber-panhandling site crowdjustice.com, appealing for contributions so that, in her words, she can “speak honestly and openly to the American people about my relationship with now President Donald Trump.”

“First, this money is not going to me personally,” the actor, director, pole dancer and reputed pre-presidential lower-case playmate goes on. “Ever.”

“Second, if you donate, your donation merely appears as a donation to “Crowd Justice” on your bank or credit card statement. There is no reference to Stormy Daniels or Stephanie Clifford.”

The pornographist’s appeal already had brought in US$268,940 at press time. But should the scales of justice eventually tip against the clever Clifford/Daniels, who avers that she enjoyed consensual friendship-with-benefits with Trump shortly after Melania gave birth to son Barron in 2006, she may need every dollar that her eleemosynary plea can implant. Threatened by Trump’s legal team with a counter-fine of $1 million per utterance, she quickly could find herself as bankrupt as a Trump casino.

STORMY DANIELS – NOT ROBERT MUELLER – MIGHT SPELL TRUMP’S DOOM, the Washington Post loudly, and possibly wishfully, prophesied this week.

HOW THE STORMY DANIELS SCANDAL COULD BRING DOWN TRUMP, bellowed Rolling Stone.

In 2011, Daniels starred in a bondage scene with a lie detector and was proved to be telling the truth about the affair. This Sunday, a much-ballyhooed interview on 60 Minutes may or may not reveal more of her than has been bared previously. It has even been hinted that photographs or videos of Trump’s own unprotected goldmember may be part of the trove.

Despite this typhoon of attention, The Stormy, who continues to titillate the heartland’s lonely hearts on her Make America Horny Again tour of the country’s leading terpsichorean auditoria, is far from alone. Every day, it seems, more details are unzipped in the salacious saga of the 45th president and his long list of liaisons with women who were not then his wife, not yet his wife, and/or not ever going to be his wife, though with Donald J. Trump, you never know.

On Tuesday, for example–Barron’s 12th birthday!–former upper-case Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal sued the president in California, alleging that a payment of US$150,000 that McDougal received from the publisher of The National Enquirer in 2016 was part of “a multifaceted effort to silence” her. An attorney for McDougal, who never has claimed that her romps with Trump were anything but consensual, stated: “We intend to invalidate the so-called contract . . . imposed on Karen so she can move forward with the private life she deserves.”

The adventurous life of Trump’s own privates made even more news that same day, when a judge in his very own Manhattan ruled that the President of the United States is not exempt from being sued for defamation just because he happens to be the President of the United States.

“No one is above the law,” Judge Jennifer Schecter of the Empire State’s supreme court wrote, echoing Spencer Tracy in Adam’s Rib (and Barack Obama on FOX News when asked about a possible prosecution of Hillary Clinton for her email irregularities). The opinion affirmed the litigious rights of an Apprentice contestant named Summer Zervos, who alleges that Trump grabbed her, kissed her, and rubbed himself against her against her will. While campaigning for the White House, Trump repeatedly called Zervos—and numerous other accusers—a liar, a word that carries substantial legal weight.

“Nothing in the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution even suggests that the president cannot be called to account before a state court for wrongful conduct that bears no relationship to any federal executive responsibility,” the New York judge decreed. Should Zervos prevail in court after the inevitable years or decades of appeals and delays, Trump may find himself as exposed as Stormy Daniels.

“Trump’s lawyers were trying to use executive privilege in a new way and they lost,” says Justin Vaughn, professor of political science at Boise State University in Idaho and the creator of many of those presidential rankings that usually have placed James Buchanan at the bottom of the heap, at least until The Donald came along. (Trump hit rock-bottom in the most recent poll of historians while Barack Obama, previously mired at a mediocre 18th, rocketed to number eight just by comparison.)

“Bill Clinton’s team tried to make the same case and they failed to keep him out of the federal court system,” Vaughn tells Maclean’s. “Trump argued that it’s a different matter in a state court, which is not only a terrible argument that he’s destined to lose, and not only bad for Trump in the short term, but if you take all the salaciousness out of it and just look at the institutional consequences, it makes it harder for any president to claim executive privilege in the future.”

“The Zervos case is full steam ahead and Trump will absolutely have to give a deposition,” predicts Barbara McQuade, professor-by-practice and lecturer in civil and criminal law at the University of Michigan and one of the 46 federal attorneys whom Trump dismissed when he took office. (During her 8-year tenure as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, McQuade successfully prosecuted the city’s mayor and the “underwear bomber” who tried to set off plastic explosives in his own briefs aboard a jet airliner, among many other high-profile fraud and terrorism cases.) “It was at this stage in Bill Clinton’s case that he had to tell the truth about Monica Lewinski. Given Donald Trump’s history with the truth, this could be very significant.”

“They could also ask him about other women, which also happened to Clinton. In the context of the Zervos case, if they are trying to establish a pattern of behavior, they could ask about Stormy Daniels, about Karen McDougal, so I think that this could be a place rife with peril if he lies under oath.”

“The other thing that could be interesting for those who say ‘I don’t really care about his personal life because I always assumed the worst anyway’ is that it’s not about the sex, it’s the hush money,” Prof McQuade adds. “If there is a pattern of him concealing that behavior, could this be obstruction of justice? They could allege that when things go bad and he wants them to go away, he throws money at it and he persuades people to be quiet.”

“Politically and legally, it would be tough to punish Trump for having these affairs 10 years ago,” agrees Justin Vaughn. “Even the evangelical leaders gave him a pre-presidential mulligan. But if we learned anything from Richard Nixon, it’s that it is not the crime, it’s the cover-up. What could be more problematic is not that he had these affairs, but that they’re engaging in legal actions to keep information out of the public realm, which in the long run usually fails.”

“When you look at Stormy Daniels, what do you see?” Prof. Vaughn is asked. “I think that she and her attorney have been pretty successful in controlling the narrative so far and getting her message out through the mainstream media,” he answers. “I don’t know if they are doing everything right or if Trump’s team is doing everything wrong.”

“Nobody elected Donald Trump because he’s a moral paragon,” Vaughn reasons. “If this was Jeb Bush, it would have ended his presidency by now. But there’s got to be a tipping point somewhere. I have a friend, a long-time Republican, who told me that she won’t allow her kids to watch the news anymore. At a certain point, even if he’s the leader of your team, if you can’t let your kids watch the news, there’s got to be a red line somewhere. I’m surprised we haven’t got to it yet, but it’s got to be coming.”

The singular absence of allegations of moral turpitude during the Obama years may have led some younger observers to view the current chief executive especially harshly. But Donald Trump is far from the only president to have dallied extra-maritally before or even during his tenure; the sordid history runs from John Kennedy’s trysts with Marilyn Monroe to Warren Gamaliel Harding, who referred to his penis as “Jerry” in torrid letters to his long-time paramour.

“Do I think I could get elected?” Trump mused in 2011 in a book entitled Time To Get Tough: Making America #1 Again. “At one time I would have said yes, probably. But now, since my marital problems have been dragged through the newspapers, I’m less sure.”

“It all comes down to whether the House flips to the Democrats,” says Barbara McQuade. “At what point does the House, even the Republicans, get tired of his act? But if it turns out that someone’s personal life doesn’t impact his presidency, then none of this matters.”

Yet there is one person—publicly silent, regally postured, gamely suffering (if she indeed is suffering)—to whom these affairs and allegations must matter. Virtually invisible in public settings since Inauguration Day, and nearly always mute at ritual functions within the White House, Melania Trump First Lady emerged tentatively this week. But even while convening with representatives of social-media companies to kick off her long-delayed campaign against cyber-bullying, the First Lady was apologetic and demure.

“I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing the topic,” she said. “I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue and I know that will continue, but it will not stop me from doing what I know is right. I am here with one goal: helping children and our next generation.”

Meanwhile, the sordid procession continues, with Stormy Daniels in the wings at 60 Minutes and mayhem in the West Wing under the most boyish, bizarre and boisterous administration in American history.

A few days ago, a Maclean’s reporter was walking toward the White House to attend the daily press briefing.

“Another day, another scandal,” the journalist muttered to one of the law-enforcement personnel who are stationed along Pennsylvania Avenue to protect the president from external menace, though not from himself, which may be the greatest danger of all to Donald Trump.

“It’s not a scandal,” the officer replied. “You gotta have shame to have scandal.”
• How Donald Trump could sink the bid for the 2026 World Cup
• Bruce Heyman: No one person can define the U.S.-Canada relationship
• Canadians see possible signal U.S. ready to accept NAFTA compromise</s>President Donald Trump announced Thursday his plans for tariffs on up to $60 billion annually in Chinese imports, designed as retaliation for an administration report that will outline Beijing's violation of U.S. intellectual property rights."This is the first of many," the president said as he signed a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. Trade Representative to publish a proposed list of products in 15 days along with an intended tariff increase, after which the list will be opened up for public comment.Trump said he's spoken to China's President Xi about the actions and that he continues to have "tremendous respect" for him."We have a great relationship, " Trump said. "They're helping us a lot in North Korea. And that's China. But we have a trade deficit, depending on the way you calculate, of $504 billion. Now some people would say it's really $375 billion. Many different ways of looking at it. But any way you look at it, it is the largest deficit of any country in the history of our world. It's out of control.""The word is reciprocal," Trump said. "That's the word I want everyone to remember. We want reciprocal, mirror. Some people call it a mirror tariff," he said, adding that Thursday's action should have been taken years ago.Primary sectors subject to the tariffs, according to the White House, will be aerospace, information communication technology, and machinery.Earlier, an administration official briefing reporters said up to $50 billion in Chinese imports would be affected."Based upon the harm that is substantiated by the report, I think that about $50 billion is designed to offset the gains that the Chinese have received through their unfair trade practices," the official said.The memorandum directs the U.S. Trade Representative to file a dispute proceeding against China with the World Trade Organization aimed at targeting what the Trump administration is calling China's "discriminatory licensing practices." The president is also directing Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to propose within 60 days other potential executive actions he can pursue that will restrict investment by China in sensitive U.S. technology.The announcement comes as the administration begins rolling out new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and as China has already threatened retaliatory actions against any punitive trade actions by the U.S. Economists have expressed growing worry that the president's heavy-handed moves could spark a trade war.</s>BEIJING/SHANGHAI: China blamed US export restrictions for its record trade surplus with the US but expressed hope that a solution can be found to settle trade issues between the world's two biggest economies as US tariffs loom.

Beijing was bracing for an announcement from US President Donald Trump on tariffs of as much as US$60 billion (S$80 billion) on Chinese goods that was scheduled to be announced early this morning.

The tariffs will be imposed under Section 301 of the 1974 US Trade Act, focusing on Chinese high-tech goods.

Mr Trump said Beijing has forced US companies to transfer their intellectual property to China as a cost of doing business there.

Washington is also pressing China to reduce its staggering US$375 billion trade surplus with the US by US$100 billion.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said it was unfair to throw around criticism about unfair trade if the US will not sell to China what it wants to buy, referring to US export controls on some high-tech products.

"How many soya beans should China buy that are equal to one Boeing aircraft? Or, if China buys a certain number of Boeing aircraft, should the US buy an equal number of C919s?" Ms Hua said, referring to China's new self-developed passenger jet.

China still hopes it can hold constructive talks with the US in a spirit of mutual respect to seek a win-win solution, she added.

US agricultural exports to China stood at US$19.6 billion last year, with soya bean shipments accounting for US$12.4 billion.

Chinese penalties on US soya beans will especially hurt Iowa, the state that backed Mr Trump in the presidential election and is home to US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad.

Some Americans believe China cannot find a substitute for US soya beans, but that is an "arrogant and naive" idea, China's state-run Global Times said in an editorial yesterday.

Boeing jets have also been often cited as a potential target by China, which has been developing the C919 as part of its civil aerospace ambitions.

"With regard to the Section 301 investigation, China has expressed its position on many occasions that we resolutely oppose this type of unilateral and protectionist action by the US," the Commerce Ministry said yesterday.

"China will not sit idly by while legitimate rights and interests are hurt. We must take all necessary measures to firmly defend our rights and interests."

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Wednesday the tariffs would target China's high-tech sector, and there could also be restrictions on Chinese investments in the US.

Other sectors such as apparel could also be hit.</s>SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China unveiled plans on Friday to impose tariffs on up to $3 billion of U.S. imports in retaliation against U.S. tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products, as the world’s two largest economies stood on the brink of a trade war.

China was considering a 15 percent tariff on U.S. products including dried fruit, wine and steel pipes and a 25 percent tariff on pork products and recycled aluminum, the commerce ministry said in a statement on it website.

China has assembled a list of 128 U.S. products in total that could be targeted if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry added.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday targeting up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs, but only after a 30-day consultation period that starts once a list is published.

Beijing’s disclosure of its planned retaliation to proposed tariffs on Chinese metal exports to the United States, served as a warning to Washington as both sides brandished their weapons while holding off from starting a full-blown trade war.

The commerce ministry said China would implement the measures in two stages: first the 15 percent tariff on 120 products including steel pipes and wine worth $977 million and later the higher 25 percent tariff on $1.99 billion of pork and aluminum.

“We intend to impose tariffs on certain U.S. imports to balance out the losses caused to Chinese interests by the U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum,” the ministry said.

The ministry added it would take legal action under the framework of the World Trade Organization to maintain the stability of global trading rules. It added, however, it hoped it could resolve issues with the U.S. through dialogue.</s>WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will sign a presidential memorandum on Thursday to potentially slap tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports over forced transfer of intellectual property, a senior White House official said.

Trump will sign the memorandum at 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) at the White House. The directive will open a consultation period by the U.S. Trade Representative's office to look at a list of Chinese products that could be targeted, Everett Eissenstat, deputy director of the National Economic Council, told reporters.

In addition, Trump will also direct the U.S. Treasury to propose measures that could restrict Chinese investments in the United States, Eissenstat said.

The tariffs and investment restrictions will be imposed under the U.S. Trade Representative's "Section 301" investigation into alleged misappropriation of U.S. intellectual property by China.</s>WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump sought to rewrite the rules of global trade on Thursday with a long-pledged trade offensive against China.

The administration’s actions, including a threat of tariffs on $60 billion of imports and tighter restrictions on acquisitions and technology transfers, came in response to what it claimed were Chinese efforts to obtain U.S. technology through intimidation, state-financed acquisition and subterfuge.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on US$60 billion of Chinese goods, while also limiting China’s ability to invest in the U.S. technology industry.