China officially requested dispute consultations with the EU on its provisional countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles, the World Trade Organization announced Aug. 14. China said the duties and general CVD investigation violate Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, which covers antidumping and countervailing duties, and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting comments on how China and Russia are complying with their World Trade Organization commitments, including in its import regulation, export regulation, subsidies, non-tariff barriers, intellectual property rights enforcement, rule of law issues, and trade facilitation, or other issues.

The EU formally opened a dispute at the World Trade Organization on July 30, asking for consultations with Taiwan regarding its measures related to off-shore wind installations. Those measures include domestic content requirements, which the EU claims are incompatible with commitments under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures and the General Agreement on Trade in Services. The EU last week said it planned to open the dispute because of how they would affect the transition to green energy (see 2407260011). The request for consultations gives the parties 60 days to find a solution to the dispute. If no solution is found, the bloc can request for "adjudication by a panel."

The World Trade Organization on July 26 published a joint statement initiative on e-commerce -- the first "stabilised text" released following five years of negotiations on an e-commerce deal. The deal's eight sections cover general scope, e-commerce, "openness," trust, transparency, telecommunications, exceptions and institutional arrangements.

The EU on July 26 requested dispute settlement consultations at the World Trade Organization on Taiwan's use of local content criteria for offshore wind energy projects, the European Commission announced.

The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body agreed on July 26 to establish two dispute panels, at the request of South Africa, to review EU restrictions on South African citrus fruit. South Africa submitted its second request for two panels in spats on the EU restrictions, which were imposed to control the spread of the insect known as the "False Codling Moth" and fungus known as "citrus black spot."

The World Trade Organization's published agenda for the Dispute Settlement Body's July 26 meeting indicates China will request the establishment of a dispute settlement panel on the U.S. government's tax credits for electric vehicles under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Comoros and Timor-Leste submitted their acceptances of "WTO Protocols of Accession" and the fisheries subsidies agreement on July 22 to open the General Council meeting, the World Trade Organization announced. The moves set up the two nations to become the 165th and 166th members of the WTO in late August, the trade body said.

Iraq resumed its talks on accession to the World Trade Organization on July 18 following a 16-year break in the negotiating process. The WTO said Iraq "reaffirmed its pledge to join" the world body, while noting its "significant economic and legislative reforms."

Madagascar told the World Trade Organization July 18 that it opened on that date a safeguard investigation on certain types of edible vegetable oils, the WTO announced. The island nation said interested parties "must make themselves known" to the country's investigating authority within 30 days of the opening of the investigation.