Nearly a fifth (19.7 percent) of world imports are now affected by tariffs and similar restrictions, compared to 12.6 percent only a year ago, according to a report released this week by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The report showed that the value of global goods imports affected by new tariffs and other import measures has increased more than fourfold from mid-October 2024 to mid-October 2025 compared to the prior 12-month period, marking the highest coverage in over 15 years of WTO trade monitoring.
At a formal meeting of the WTO's Trade Policy Review Body, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned that the global trading system is facing its most severe turbulence in 80 years, citing a sharp increase in unilateral tariff actions, heightened geopolitical tensions, and growing regional conflicts.
She noted that despite these challenges, the multilateral trading system has demonstrated "considerable resilience," with approximately 72 percent of global trade still conducted on a most-favored-nation (MFN) basis. The WTO will closely monitor developments in tariff measures and perform a new assessment of the MFN share of trade in the coming weeks, she said.
Tariffs affect nearly 20 pct of global imports: WTO
Former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has said France and China can transcend their differences and jointly serve as messengers of peace for humanity.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Raffarin emphasized that both nations share a fundamental mission to protect the planet and promote global peace, despite different political systems, economic competition, and cultural divergences.
"Today, what is essential for the world is development. It is what China has done with a lot of energy by lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. While growth is a priority today, the foremost priority is peace. The Chinese people are a peaceful people. They have not waged war outside China. They have fought only when their homeland was under attack. They can be the bearers of peace," he said.
"We, the French, have overcome the shames and tragedies of World War II by turning an enemy, Germany, into one of our best friends today. So France and China can together be the messengers of peace. So whatever our political systems, whatever our economic rivalries, whatever our cultural divergences, we fundamentally share a message for the planet. This message is to protect the planet, for the peace of humanity. And peace for humanity is a common goal that France and China share," he said.
France, China can be messengers of peace: former French PM
