GENEVA (Reuters) -Britain's trade minister said on Tuesday that the World Trade Organization faced an "existential moment" at its ministerial meeting next year and that there is risk it fades to
Countries ask if Britain's US trade deal is WTO compliant, document shows
By Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) -Several states have quizzed Britain about whether its trade deal with the United States is compliant with World Trade Organization rules, a document showed on Tuesday, as the country undergoes its first trade policy review at the global body.
Britain, which is a vocal backer of the WTO system, locked in a 10% baseline tariff rate with the United States in May in the first such deal agreed by U.S. President Donald Trump after he unleashed a tariff war earlier this year.
Brexit granted Britain its own seat at the WTO and it is subject to a policy review at a series of WTO meetings in Geneva this week - a process of scrutiny which all members undergo.
Britain said it had started well and that its trade minister Chris Bryant had set out a "bold, growth-focused strategy".
'FUNDAMENTALLY A FREE AND FAIR TRADE COUNTRY'
"We're fundamentally a free and fair trade country, and that's what we think our destiny is. That's the role we want to play," Bryant told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting at the WTO.
But some members questioned whether Britain is in compliance with the Geneva-based watchdog's Most Favoured Nation terms, which require all members to treat each other equally, according to a document marked "restricted" that included hundreds of questions submitted by states ahead of the meeting.
Japan asked Britain about its "preferential" treatment accorded to U.S. beef and ethanol imports.
"Does the UK intend to extend such treatment on a most-favoured-nation (MFN) basis to all WTO Members?," it said.
JAPAN, SINGAPORE, RUSSIA AND CHINA ASK QUESTIONS
Singapore and Russia asked general questions about the deal's WTO compliance and China sought clarification on the terms of the deal for steel and pharmaceuticals.
Asked about the U.S. trade deal and compliance with WTO terms, Bryant said he was not aware if this issue had been raised in the Geneva meetings, adding that the deal was a form of free trade agreement on which work was ongoing.
Since Trump began to roll out his tariffs, the amount of global trade that is conducted on WTO terms has fallen to less than three-quarters of the total, raising questions about the organisation's future.
Bryant said the body faces an "existential moment".
"So we are in the business of wanting to make sure that the WTO works, but there is a danger that it will dwindle into insignificance over the coming years," he said.
(Reporting by Emma Farge; Additional reporting by Alistair Smout in London; Editing by Friederike Heine and Conor Humphries)
