China’s formal complaint to the World Trade Organization over President Trump’s sweeping tariff hikes is more than a legal maneuver. It is a global political statement – and a litmus test for whether the postwar economic order still functions.

The complaint, lodged last week, challenges the legality of the United States’ latest barrage of tariffs on Chinese imports, some of which now exceed 145%. Beijing accuses Washington of “economic coercion” and “protectionist violations” of WTO rules. But given the WTO’s current paralysis – its appellate court has been non-functional since the Trump administration gutted it in 2019 – China’s move is almost certainly symbolic. That, however, is precisely what makes it powerful.

A Domestic Crack in Trump’s Trade War Narrative

At home, the WTO complaint strikes at the heart of Trump’s trade credibility. While the president touts tariffs as a form of strength, the filing underscores a growing domestic backlash. U.S. lawmakers across the aisle have condemned the administration’s tariffs as reckless, inflationary, and economically suicidal. Senators from both parties are now moving to revoke the “national emergency” Trump invoked to impose them unilaterally.

Industry backlash is even sharper. The Chamber of Commerce called the duties “a tax increase on Americans,” and retail, manufacturing, and agricultural groups warn of mass layoffs and price spikes. By hauling the United States before the WTO, China is adding legal weight to what Trump’s critics have been shouting for weeks: that this trade war isn’t just costly – it may be illegal.

A Global Alliance – Against the U.S.

China’s legal escalation comes with a strategic bonus: it unites the rest of the world against Washington. European Union leaders have condemned the tariffs as a direct attack on global stability. Canada has vowed to fight back, and Japan has expressed alarm. Even the United Kingdom, once eager for a special trade deal with the U.S., is distancing itself.

In the Global South, the consequences are sharper. U.S. tariffs have hit African and Southeast Asian economies hard, driving some countries closer to Beijing. China’s WTO filing, framed in the language of rules and restraint, positions it as the rational actor – and casts Trump’s America as the bully.

Weaponizing a Broken Court

That China chose to go to the WTO at all reveals how confident it is in the power of appearances. The appellate body is defunct. Any ruling against the U.S. can be stalled by an appeal into a legal void. Yet China filed anyway, knowing that this symbolic act will reverberate more than any verdict.

It’s a sharp contrast to Trump’s strategy: unilateral escalation with no regard for global norms. By working within the system, however broken, China is making the case that the United States has become the very thing it once policed: a rogue state destabilizing the rules it helped build.

The WTO Itself Is on Trial

The implications for the WTO are severe. If China’s case goes unresolved due to U.S. obstruction, it could set a precedent that the global trade court is effectively dead. Other countries might follow suit, ignoring rulings or abandoning the system entirely. Alternatively, the spotlight on this high-profile dispute could revive momentum to restore the appellate function – but only if the political will exists.

Trump has already hinted at defunding or even exiting the WTO, actions that would further isolate the U.S. and cede global economic leadership to Beijing.

A Strategic Bluff, or a Turning Point?

China’s filing may ultimately be a diplomatic bluff – an appeal to global opinion more than international law. But that doesn’t make it toothless. In the court of public diplomacy, Beijing is winning points by appearing measured, lawful, and multilateral. Trump’s erratic behavior and domestic infighting, by contrast, suggest an empire in retreat.

In many ways, China’s WTO complaint marks a turning point – not just in the trade war, but in the larger geopolitical order. It pits Trump’s America, increasingly isolated and combative, against a world that may no longer be willing to follow its lead.

The question now is whether anyone still believes the system can work – or whether this is the moment the system finally breaks.