China goes to the WTO over tariffs, so what's next?

Life in the UK, this is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

I'm Leanna Byrne. Good morning.

Beijing has strongly denied US claims that illegal drug shipments from China are a national emergency.

In a formal complaint to the World Trade Organization over tariffs imposed

by Washington, China dismissed the allegations as unfounded. The BBC's Jonathan Joseph's reports.

China's complaint about Donald Trump's latest tariffs has been filed unusually quickly.

Possibly even more surprising is the blunt language in it, describing US claims

about illegal drugs as unfounded and false allegations. The world's two biggest economies now have

60 days to resolve their dispute through consultations at the World Trade Organization. It's unlikely

either that or the next stages of the process will be successful.

The ultimate body of the Geneva-based arbiter for solving dispute has been unable to function

since Donald Trump blocked the appointment of new judges in his first term as president.

That was Jonathan Joseph's reporting. And those appointments were blocked because of long-standing

US concerns that the appeals body was overreaching its original remit. The Jonathan Joseph's reporting, and those appointments were blocked because of long-standing U.S.

concerns that the appeals body was overreaching its original remit. The BBC has been speaking to

Tom Graham, who chaired that body in 2016 and 2019. And apologies in advance. It's a slightly

crackly phone line. It may be a strong case the way the WTO dispute settlement system used to work,

but it has no possibility of succeeding here, ultimately.

The WTO appellate body, the second tier review body, isn't functioning.

It's closed and has been for five years.

And the panel stage, the first stage, works very slowly.

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