An international trade analyst on Wednesday in Geneva said that the escalating trade frictions between China and the United States are byproducts of the ever growing U.S.-China trade relations, and they aren’t just immediately tied to the U.S. elections.

The United States filed a request for consultations with the World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body on Monday concerning China's subsidies to its automobile and automobile-part exporters, while China filed a complaint against the United States about its breach of the WTO rules in its amendment to the Tariff Act of 1930 (GPX bill).

So far China has not responded to the U.S.'s request for consultations. According to the WTO rules, once China responds, the two parties will have two months to hold bilateral negotiations to settle the disputes. In case no settlement would be reached, the United States can file an application for arbitration, which could take years to come to a final decision.