WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION

On 15 February, the Secretariat of the World Trade Organisation circulated a U.S. proposal aimed at limiting the rights of WTO members to self-designate as a developing country eligible for special and differential treatment. More

The United States is taking a more aggressive approach to ensure that mainland China, not the United States, bears the costs of its non-market economic system, according to a report from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. At the same time, the United States will encourage mainland China to make fundamental structural changes to its approach to the economy and trade. More

On 18 January, the United States notified the World Trade Organisation Dispute Settlement Body that it wished to join the European Union’s dispute settlement case on mainland China’s technology transfer policies. The U.S. request noted a “substantial trade interest” in the EU’s dispute with mainland China as well as its own request for consultations on intellectual property rights protection in the mainland. More

The investigation was launched on 26 March 2018 as part of the EU’s response to the decision by the United States to impose tariffs on steel products (the so-called US Section 232 measures). It showed that imports of steel products into the EU increased significantly in recent years and that these imports are likely to increase further. More