‘Dangerous moment’: Academic calls for US expulsion from WTO over protectionism

The World Trade Organization (WTO) should expel the United States to signal that its protectionist policies and weaponisation of trade are unacceptable, according to an academic speaking at the World Economic Forum’s Summer Davos.
“There is a danger in that protectionism is contagious,” said Kristen Hopewell, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, during a panel session at the event in Dalian.
“If you allow the US to remain in the WTO while it’s blatantly violating the rules of the system, you’re undermining the system and you’re creating licence for other states to mimic that sort of behaviour.”
With the spread of protectionism and the Appellate Body of the WTO – which reviews panel reports on trade disputes – disabled since late 2019 as the US blocks the appointment of new judges, the multilateral trading system was in crisis, Hopewell said.

In April 2025 US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on virtually all trading partners, citing emergency economic powers, but in February this year the US Supreme Court struck them down as unconstitutional.
Speaking on the sidelines after the panel session, Hopewell noted that there was very little international pushback against Trump’s aggressive trade policies, as many countries were economically dependent on the US and hesitant to retaliate.
China was one of the few economies to retaliate directly, implementing tit-for-tat countermeasures and prompting a renewed trade war before tensions cooled again.
But even as Beijing rebukes protectionism and positions itself as a defender of the rules-based order, some countries have also accused China of unfair trade practices, pointing to its ballooning trade surplus and industrial overcapacity.
“There’s a credibility problem for China in terms of trying to show leadership in the trading system … which is too bad, because we’re in a situation where we need countries that will stand up for trade and to fight for the system,” Hopewell said.
She added that China can build trust and credibility by negotiating mutually beneficial agreements, such as its tariff-free regime for Africa launched last month.
Hopewell said this was important as Trump moves to reinstitute his tariff agenda through other trade tools, such as new Section 301 findings announced earlier this month.
“I think we’re at a critical juncture where we could go in one of two directions: one is countries recommitting to the rules-based trading system and trying to salvage the existing order,” Hopewell warned.
“The other is moving into greater chaos and disorder, and the risk of escalation of conflict, so it’s a really dangerous moment.”