ECONOMY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WTO: “President Donald Trump on Friday [7-26-19] stepped up his attack against the World Trade Organization, saying it wouldn’t recognize special treatment for wealthy economies that claim developing status. Trump issued a memorandum accusing China and other countries with large economies of taking advantage of developing-country status at the Geneva-based organization. Developing status at the WTO generally grants a country leniency to delay or avoid compliance with certain obligations and rules…U.S. complaints over developing-country status predate the Trump administration. The U.S. has taken particular issue with the fact that a country can ‘self-designate’ itself as a developing economy in order to take advantage of special treatment. In addition to China, the memorandum said wealthy economies like Brunei, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Macao, Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey also wrongly claim developing status. The U.S. has ‘never accepted China’s claim to developing-country status,’ the memorandum said.”
–Adam Behsudi, “Trump ramps up attack against WTO,” Politico, July 26, 2019 4:07 pm