GENEVA/BRUSSELS: The World Trade Organization found on Tuesday that the United States breached global trading rules by imposing multibillion-dollar tariffs in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, a ruling that drew anger from Washington.

The Trump administration says its tariffs imposed two years ago on more than $200 billion in Chinese goods were justified because China was stealing intellectual property and forcing U.S. companies to transfer technology for access to China’s markets.

But the WTO’s three-member panel said the U.S. duties broke trading rules because they applied only to China and were above maximum rates agreed to by the United States. Washington had not then adequately explained why its measures were a justified exception, the panel concluded.

“This panel report confirms what the Trump administration has been saying for four years: the WTO is completely inadequate to stop China’s harmful technology practices,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in response.

China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing supported the multilateral trading system and respected WTO rules and rulings, and hoped Washington would do the same.

The decision will have little immediate effect on the U.S. tariffs and is just the start of a legal process that could take years to play out, ultimately leading to the WTO approving retaliatory measures if it is upheld – moves that China has already taken on its own.

The United States is likely to appeal Tuesday’s ruling. That would put the case into a legal void, however, because Washington has already blocked the appointment of judges to the WTO’s appellate body, preventing it from convening the minimum number required to hear cases.

The WTO panel was aware it was stepping into hot water. It noted that it had looked only into the U.S. measures and not China’s retaliation, which Washington has not challenged at the WTO.

“The panel is very much aware of the wider context in which the WTO system currently operates, which is one reflecting a range of unprecedented global trade tensions,” the 66-page report concluded.

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The panel recommended the United States bring its measures “into conformity with its obligations”, but also encouraged the two sides to work to resolve the overall dispute.

“Time is available for the parties to take stock as proceedings evolve and further consider opportunities for mutually agreed and satisfactory solutions,” it said.

During a two-year trade war with Beijing, Trump threatened tariffs on nearly all Chinese imports – more than $500 billion – before the two countries signed a “Phase 1” trade deal in January. Extra tariffs are still in place on some $370 billion worth of Chinese goods, and $62.16 billion in duties have been collected since July 2018, U.S. Customs data https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/trade show.

Trump has described the WTO as “horrible” and biased towards China, often threatening to quit.

As he left the White House for a campaign rally, Trump said he would “have to do something about the WTO because they’ve let China get away with murder.”

He said he needed to take a closer look at the ruling, but added: “I’m not a big fan of the WTO – that I can tell you right now. Maybe they did us a big favor.”

The decision could help fuel a Trump decision to leave the WTO or underpin U.S. arguments for reforming the 25-year-old trade body, said Margaret Cekuta, a former USTR official who helped write a crucial report on China’s intellectual property abuses that preceded Trump’s tariffs.

“It gives the administration ammo to say the WTO is out of date. If they can’t rule on intellectual property rights, then what is their position in the broader economy going forward?” said Cekuta, now a principal with the Capitol Counsel lobbying firm.

Trump, critical of multilateral institutions, has already quit the U.N. cultural organisation UNESCO and plans to leave the World Health Organization.

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NEW YORK: FedEx’s profit jumped 67% in its latest quarter, as online shopping soared among customers avoiding stores and shipments between businesses improved.

The delivery giant reported Tuesday that it earned $1.25 billion during the three months that ended Aug. 31, FedEx’s fiscal first quarter. That was up from $745 million a year earlier.

Its revenue rose to $19.32 billion, up 13% from $17.05 billion in last year’s quarter.

The growth that we expected to see over a period of three to five years happened in a period of three to five months, said Raj Subramaniam, president and chief operating officer at FedEx, in a conference call with investors.

Delivery of large packages, furniture and high-value electronics to homes increased, said Brie Carere, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer. Shoppers who are over 65 years old finally moved to online, and from an e-commerce perspective I do not anticipate that these buying behaviors will revert back after the pandemic, she said.

FedEx’s earnings amounted to an adjusted $4.87 a share. That was well ahead of the $2.70 per share expected on average by Wall Street analysts polled by FactSet.

FedEx’s stock jumped 8% in after-hours trading.

Many people are shopping online during the pandemic, which is helping some delivery companies despite widespread economic pain.

Not all facets of the economy are great right now, far from the case, but when you think about the rising tide that is e-commerce, its definitely a powerful thing for a company like FedEx to harness, given the delivery network they have thats ready to go, said Matt Arnold, industrials analyst for Edward Jones.

But delivery to homes is less profitable than those between businesses, and business deliveries slowed as the pandemic dragged on and some establishments remained shuttered. FedEx also saw some expenses increase as it purchased personal protective equipment and enhanced cleaning routines to keep its workers safe.

The Memphis-based company did not provide an outlook for the full 2021 fiscal year.

While business demand improved in the first quarter, continued uncertainties cloud our ability to forecast full-year earnings, said Alan B. Graf, Jr., FedEx’s chief financial officer.

Revenue in its core Express segment grew to $9.65 billion in the quarter, up from $8.95 billion at the same time last year. Its Ground service grew to $7.04 billion in revenue, up from $5.18 billion at the same time last year.

FedEx is raising its shipping rates by 4.9% for its Express, Ground and Home Delivery services and 4.9% to 5.9% for Freight, beginning in January.

Were going into the so-called peak delivery season for the holiday, and were seeing e-commerce growth that looks like the holidays, so its giving them confidence that they can raise their prices, Arnold said.

FedEx also has said it plans to hire up to 70,000 seasonal workers to handle extra holiday deliveries, a jump from 55,000 last year.

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