The U.S. requested consultations at the World Trade Organization with China last week concerning China's safeguard investigation on imported beef, which was opened in December 2024 and has been twice extended. Most recently, China's Ministry of Commerce extended the investigation through Jan. 26 (see 2511250038).
China filed a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization about Indian tariffs on information and communication technology products and subsidy measures for high efficiency solar photovoltaic modules, the WTO said Dec. 23.
World Trade Organization members on Dec. 19 agreed to let the EU impose countermeasures on imports from the U.S. due to U.S. violations of WTO rules in its antidumping duty and countervailing duty proceedings on Spanish ripe olives, the WTO announced.
The U.K. on Dec. 18 issued a new Russia-related general license allowing certain wind-down transactions with Russian oil companies Russneft, Tatneft, Rusneftegaz Group, NNK-Oil and any of their subsidiaries. The license also authorizes "the closing out of any positions" involving those entities. It expires 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31.
Taiwan opened dispute consultations with Canada at the World Trade Organization regarding Canada's tariff rate quotas and surtax on certain steel goods and its global duty on certain steel derivative goods, the WTO announced. The consultations request formally opens a WTO dispute and gives the parties 60 days to resolve it, after which it will be sent to adjudication before a panel.
The Council of the European Union presidency and European Parliament negotiators agreed this week on a set of updated foreign direct investment screening rules (see 2506170024), including a minimum scope of industries that should be subject to investment screening.
A group of Ukrainian nationals on Dec. 10 accused Intel, Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Mouser Electronics of not doing enough to ensure the semiconductor parts they make don't end up in Russian or Iranian hands (Shumylo v. Texas Instruments, Tex. # 25-09714).
Chinese lidar company Hesai Technology filed its opening brief in its appeal of its case contesting its designation as a "Chinese military company," arguing that the Pentagon adopted an "absurdly broad reading of" the law, Section 1260H, and that the lower court "adopted a capacious view of the [Defense] Department's listing authority and a cramped view of Hesai's obvious prejudice" (Hesai Technology v. U.S. Dep't of Defense, D.C. Cir. # 25-5256).
EU ministers and the European Parliament agreed this week on a proposal that could end imports of Russian liquefied natural gas by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas in fall 2027.
The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament struck a provisional deal on the revised Generalized Scheme of Preferences program, which grants EU trade preferences to developing countries. The provisional deal adds "stronger links to respect for human rights and the environment, and a better monitoring and transparency of the scheme," the council said. New conventions regarding human rights and environmental protections will be added to the program, and the proposal provides for an "urgency procedure for the rapid withdrawal of preferences in case of violations of the principles of these conventions," the council said.