China Loses Landmark WTO Dispute Against EU

  • Retreat provides greater legal certainty for EU, U.S. tariffs
  • Bolsters U.S. claim that China has not become a market economy

A crane lifts a shipping container from a cargo ship, operated by China Ocean Shipping Group Co. (COSCO), at the Euromax terminal at the Port of Rotterdam in Netherlands.

Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/Bloomberg
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China spent four years fighting for market-economy status, a designation that would give it stronger footing with commercial partners while also curtailing their ability to retaliate over trade disputes.

This week, China quietly lost that battle.