China has formally requested to join World Trade Organization (WTO) consultations initiated by Brazil challenging US tariffs of up to 37.5% imposed under former President Trump’s administration. The request was filed by Beijing in Geneva on Monday, August 10th, 2026, with China stating it holds a substantial commercial interest in the dispute.

The move was first reported by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo and independently confirmed by a Brazilian government source to the South China Morning Post.

In its request, China argued that Washington could apply comparable tariff measures to Chinese goods, which would affect all Chinese exports to the US market, subject to specific exemptions. China also claimed that the additional duties altered the competitive conditions for Chinese products sold in the United States.

The document had not yet appeared in the WTO’s public records as of Monday. Notably, China’s grounds for joining the dispute focus on the impact on its own exports rather than the treatment of Brazilian goods.

China has previously challenged Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974 at the WTO since 2018, contending that the statute allows the US to unilaterally determine violations and impose penalties without multilateral authorization.

Sources