Lawmakers urge USTR to push for extension of WTO's moratorium on digital trade

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai speaks during a reception to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 17, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers urged U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to push during World Trade Organization meetings this week for an extension of a moratorium on tariffs on digital trade that has been in place since 1998.

More than 100 trade ministers from the WTO's 164 members are meeting in Geneva this week, but the 27-year-old trade body remains deeply challenged by crises ranging from Russia's war in Ukraine to the COVID-19 pandemic.