The escalation comes at a crucial time: The president and Chinese officials are meeting this week
'This is a blatant breach of the United States' obligations under the WTO agreements and is posing a systemic challenge to the multilateral trading system,' China's representative said
The WTO's Dispute Settlement Body accepted Monday to launch the probe after China filed a second request for its case to be heard
Chinese officials generally view the US actions as a broad effort to thwart China's inevitable rise to a dominant position in the global economy
China's dispute alleges US tariffs violate WTO's most favoured nation provision because the measures fail to provide the same tariff treatment that the US offers to imports of all other WTO members
Trump has vowed to increase tariffs to 25% from 10% on $200 bn worth of Chinese imports on March 2 unless China takes steps to protect US intellectual property
Trump argues that China has skewed the trading rules for decades and must agree to substantial reductions in import barriers, while boosting protection for US intellectual property
Ivanka Trump's expanding intellectual property holdings have long raised ethical concerns, particularly in China, where the courts and bureaucracy tend to reflect will of the ruling Communist Party
Vietnam's economy seems to be sheltered for now. Growth quickened to 7.1 percent in 2018, among the fastest in the world
China's private companies and manufacturers have been unresponsive to the latest drip feed of stimulus
The news followed a report on Thursday that US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was considering lifting some or all tariffs imposed on Chinese imports
A continuing threat of tariffs hanging over commerce between the world's two largest economies would mean a deal would not end the risk of investing in businesses or assets impacted by the trade war
Trump has vowed to increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports on March 2 if China fails to address intellectual property theft
Losing this engine, which has been shoring up global growth, may be more disruptive than we imagine
Xi sends top trade official as dialogue begins
In a statement on its local website, BASF said one current local employee was under investigation
As the two sides resume talks this week to end the standoff, both ought to see there's a deal to be had - and should help each other seize it
US officials are heading to Beijing next week for the first face-to-face talks since Trump and Xi Jinping in December agreed to a 90-day truce in the trade war as they sought to strike a deal
Trump said his meeting with Xi in Argentina was supposed to last for about 45 minutes, but it ended up being almost four hours
Currently, the US and China are about one month into their 90-day hiatus in implementing tariffs and taking other measures in a trade war that dominated much of 2018