On Dec 1, the United States formally informed the World Trade Organization that it opposes granting China market economy status. This breaches its promise that China would automatically be granted market economy status by 2016.

According to that promise, since China joined the WTO in 2001, it should have been granted the market economy status by the end of 2016, the same treatment that is enjoyed by more than 160 member economies. It has long been clear that trade and economic relations between the US and China will not develop smoothly during the US presidency of Donald Trump.

This was reinforced during his recent trip to Asia, when he failed to express his support for the world trade system. On the contrary, in speech after speech, Trump denounced the WTO and the multilateral trade and investment arrangements that the US established following World War II to regulate conflicts among economic competitors.