Trump’s leadership is vital for world trading system, says WTO chief
Geneva — The head of the World Trade Organisation said on Wednesday the US continued to hold a pivotal role in global commerce, and he would support the administration of Donald Trump in ensuring that trade was a positive force for job creation. "US leadership in the global economy and the multilateral trading system remains vital," WTO director general Roberto Azevedo tweeted, while congratulating Trump on his presidential election victory. "It’s clear many feel trade isn’t working for them. We must address this and ensure trade delivers the widest benefit to the most people." Trump has described the Geneva-based trading club as a "disaster" and suggested he could pull the US out of the WTO if the rules proved an obstacle to his plans to protect US manufacturing. He has promised to punish US firms that move jobs to Mexico and slap a 45% tariff on Chinese imports to try to claw back a trade deficit with China that the US government put at $367bn in 2015. Azevedo, whose leadership of...
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