The World Trade Organization said on Wednesday discussions on global trade tensions were "constructive", following a meeting in Geneva dominated by the tariff policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Trump, who disabled the World Trade Organization during his first term, is going after international free trade rules in place since the 1940s.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked some parts of the military to propose what could be cut as part of a potential 8% spending reduction for them over each of the next five years, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, although it was unclear if the total defense budget would shrink.

China has called for a debate at the World Trade Organization on "trade turbulence" and how the global trade watchdog should respond in an apparent reference to tariffs launched or threatened by the United States.