China emphasized on Wednesday that while recent trade talks with the United States were a positive step, true progress in resolving global trade tensions depends on a strong

commitment to multilateralism.

Speaking at a World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council meeting in Geneva, the Chinese delegation stated, “Bilateral negotiations may have their role, but multilateralism is ultimately essential for tackling global challenges.”

The remarks follow a series of reciprocal tariffs introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump in April, which impacted China and other nations. Tensions eased after U.S.-China talks on May 12, leading to a temporary trade truce. As part of the agreement, the U.S. reduced tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China lowered its own tariffs from 125% to 10%.

China urged WTO members to work together to stabilize trade relations and ensure that trade measures align with WTO rules. “Unilateral tariffs and threats of retaliation only worsen the situation,” China said, adding that a rules-based global trading system is in everyone’s best interest.

Meanwhile, the U.S. called for urgent reforms to the WTO, criticizing the organization’s inability to address what it described as persistent trade imbalances and unfair practices. “The current multilateral trading system has failed to meet serious challenges,” the U.S. delegation said.

In a show of support for global trade cooperation, 47 WTO members backed a joint statement initiated by Singapore and Switzerland, reaffirming their commitment to a rules-based multilateral trade framework. Photo by Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia commons.