A World Trade Organization dispute panel issued its report on Australia's dispute against Chinese antidumping and countervailing duties on Australian wine after the parties reached a mutually agreed solution to the case. Australia argued that China's AD/CVD violated numerous elements of both the Anti-Dumping Agreement and the Subsidies and Countervailing Measures Agreement. The parties told the dispute settlement body that they reached a settlement on March 29.

World Trade Organization members, during an April 11 Committee on Trade and Development meeting, reviewed developments in regional trade agreements and ways to increase developing nations' role in the global trading system, the WTO announced. The committee noted that developing nations face challenges to participating in international trade, including "dependence on commodity exports and higher trade costs." The members addressed policy spaces for developing nations to boost industrial development, including under the WTO's framework of the Agreements on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, Trade-Related Investment Measures and Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.

The European Commission on April 10 released an updated report on "significant state-induced distortions" in China's economy, the Directorate-General for Trade announced. The report will allow EU industry to "use the most up-to-date information on the Chinese economy and on specific circumstances of the market" when filing antidumping petitions.

The EU is launching an investigation on Chinese government subsidies awarded to suppliers of wind turbines destined for Europe, European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said April 9. She said the probe will focus on the “conditions for the development of wind parks in Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria.

China’s commerce minister on April 7 met with a group of Chinese electric vehicle companies operating in Europe to discuss the EU’s ongoing countervailing duty investigation on EV batteries from China (see 2403150047). Minister Wang Wentao told battery makers Geely, BYD, CATL and others that EU and U.S. accusations of EV "overcapacity" in China are “groundless,” and that Beijing will “actively support enterprises in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests.” The companies “expressed their gratitude to the Ministry of Commerce for its strong support,” according to an unofficial translation of a readout of the meeting, and said they will “practice fair competition, actively respond to trade frictions, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results through pragmatic cooperation with European partners.”

The U.K. on April 4 extended for five years, until Jan. 31, 2028, its antidumping duties on cast iron articles from China, the U.K. Department for International Trade announced. The duties range from 15.5% to 38.1%, with the latter rate applicable to the non-individually examined exporters. The duties cover articles "of lamellar graphite cast iron (grey iron) or spheroidal graphite cast iron (also known as ductile cast iron) and parts thereof."

Australia and China recently notified the World Trade Organization that they are ending their dispute involving Chinese antidumping and countervailing duties on wine from Australia (see 2310230060. The WTO circulated the notification to WTO members April 3, the trade body announced.

The European Commission on April 3 imposed antidumping duties on certain polyethylene terephthalate from China, ranging from 6.6% to 24.2%, for the next five years, the Directorate-General for Trade announced. The duties stem from an EU investigation finding that Chinese PET imports sold at "artificially low prices" were "undercutting EU industry's prices." The move finalizes and continues the provisional duties, set Nov. 27.

PHILADELPHIA -- While the intersection of trade and climate change isn't yet massive in terms of policy, a CBP green trade official noted that climate change is already affecting the transport of goods.

A World Trade Organization dispute panel found that certain elements of Australian antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings on wind towers, deep drawn stainless steel sinks and railway wheels from China violate WTO commitments. Issuing its findings March 26, the panel recommended that Australia bring its measures into conformity with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.