[ti:US Disputes Tariffs from Canada, China, Mexico, EU] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.00]The United States has launched five separate dispute actions [00:05.38]at the World Trade Organization against Canada, [00:09.27]China, the European Union, Mexico and Turkey. [00:15.35]The U.S. says these countries wrongly placed tariffs on U.S. products. [00:24.31]The tariffs would involve a combined $28.5 billion worth of U.S. exports. [00:35.36]They were ordered in reaction to U.S. tariffs announced in March. [00:42.24]However, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says [00:48.27]the latest tariffs are illegal under WTO rules. [00:54.51]The Trump administration has said American national security interests [01:00.21]justified tariffs it placed on imported aluminum and steel products. [01:08.38]It said the tariffs are meant to protect the U.S. steel [01:13.69]and aluminum industries from low-cost imports from other countries. [01:20.32]But the administration argues the tariffs put in place [01:26.20]by the four countries and the EU are not permitted [01:30.77]because they are not based on national security. [01:35.45]Under WTO rules, countries decide what their national security interests are. [01:43.88]But the group also dissuades countries from overuse of that justification to avoid abuses. [01:54.10]Lighthizer said, "Instead of working with us to address a common problem, [02:01.54]some of our trading partners have elected to respond [02:05.83]with retaliatory tariffs designed to punish American workers, farmers and companies." [02:15.23]The World Trade Organization describes itself [02:20.48]as the "only global international organization dealing with trade between nations." [02:29.13]There are trade agreements between countries or groups of countries [02:35.37]that also set rules for international trade. [02:40.47]These include the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. [02:47.47]But WTO officials point out that these agreements are not designed [02:54.21]to deal with big issues that affect many countries or individual industries across borders. [03:04.18]The WTO was established in 1995 following years of negotiations. [03:13.90]The talks began at the end of World War Two and involved more than one hundred countries. [03:22.34]The group has added more large economies in recent years [03:28.58]including China in 2001, Vietnam in 2007 and Russia in 2012. [03:40.10]The body, which is based in Geneva, has a General Council that includes all its members. [03:49.92]The Council carries out the business of negotiating, [03:54.81]observing trade conditions and settling disputes among members in addition to other activities. [04:04.79]Below the General Council are many committees that specialize [04:11.24]in the complex issues of trade in goods, services and intellectual property. [04:19.86]Decisions in the WTO are "generally made by consensus," [04:27.15]meaning all members must agree. And, all members have an equal vote. [04:35.87]The latest disputes over U.S. tariffs have set off measures [04:42.82]and counter-measures by the countries including China, the EU and Canada. [04:52.75]Mexico is one of the countries the U.S. has included in its WTO dispute action. [05:01.32]Mexico's economy minister said the country would defend itself [05:08.11]in the trade body against the latest U.S. actions. [05:13.73]The ministry said in a statement, "U.S. purchases of Mexican steel and aluminum [05:22.16]do not represent a national security threat to that country." [05:28.30]On Monday, the International Monetary Fund warned [05:34.57]that growing trade conflicts could harm the world's economic recovery. [05:41.39]The IMF continues to predict world economic growth will reach 3.9 percent in 2019. [05:53.35]But it warned, "The risk of worse outcomes has increased." [06:00.09]Maurice Obstfeld is the chief economist for the IMF. [06:08.27]He said the tariffs make the U.S. a target of trade actions if trade disputes continue to expand. [06:19.63]"The United States finds a relatively high share of its exports taxed [06:27.05]in global markets in such a broader trade conflict," he said. [06:33.61]I'm Mario Ritter. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM