With US going rogue, world fumbles for new trade consensus

Washington

TRADE ministers will meet in Argentina with one of the traditional defenders of free markets, the US, questioning the benefits of the international rules it helped to forge.

Even though trade volumes are set to grow faster than the world economy this year for the first time since 2014, members of the World Trade Organization will gather in Buenos Aires concerned about the outlook. While he hasn't followed through on many of his threats to rip up trade accords or take on China, President Donald Trump is questioning the WTO's ability to police global commerce. He's also threatening to walk away from the North American Free Trade Agreement after withdrawing from a 12-nation Asia-Pacific trade pact early this year.