The European Commission on June 11 imposed countervailing duties ranging from 3.7% to 8.1% on fiber-optic cables from India. The commission said the duties were imposed following an anti-subsidy investigation that found that Indian exports are harming the EU industry. The duties come in addition to antidumping duties on the same products and AD/CVD on Chinese fiber-optic cables.

Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic discussed export controls and trade remedies during a meeting in Paris last week, according to an unofficial translation of a Chinese readout of the talks. China said the two sides continued to discuss the EU's countervailing duties on electric vehicle imports from China (see 2408200020) and made some progress toward an agreement on price commitments.

The EU on May 28 imposed antidumping duties ranging from 13% to 62% on tinplate from China, the Directorate-General for Trade and Economic Security announced. Provisional duties had been imposed Jan. 14 after the EU said Chinese tinplate imports were harming the domestic industry.

World Trade Organization members on May 27 elected chairpersons for the 14 subsidiary bodies under the Council for Trade in Goods, the WTO announced. They are:

The EU launched an antidumping duty investigation May 22 on polyethylene terephthalate from Vietnam. The European Commission said it may impose antidumping duties on the covered goods if it finds the EU PET industry is injured by dumped imports. The investigation will run for up to 14 months, though provisional duties may be imposed within eight months. The EU said it currently has antidumping duties on PET plastic from China and countervailing duties on the same goods from India.

The EU on May 21 opened an antidumping duty investigation on passenger car and light truck tires from China, the European Commission announced. The commission said the investigation will be concluded within 14 months and that provisional antidumping duties may be imposed within eight months if dumping and injury to the EU industry are found. The bloc currently has AD and countervailing duties in place on imports of tires for buses and trucks from China.

Russia opened a World Trade Organization dispute on May 19 against the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism, arguing that the mechanism violates various provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994. Russia's request for consultations also covered the EU's scheme for greenhouse gas emissions allowances trading within the EU.

China is imposing antidumping duties on imported polyformaldehyde copolymer, a type of engineering thermoplastic, from the U.S., the EU, Taiwan and Japan, according to a notice posted by the Chinese State Council Information Office. The duties took effect May 19 and will remain in place for five years. Rates range from 3.8% to 74.9%.

The European Commission on April 28 imposed definitive countervailing duties on mobile access equipment from China. The duties range from 7.3% to 14.2% and accompany antidumping duties imposed by the comission on the same products in January. The commission said the combined AD and CVD measures now range from 20.6% and 66.7%.

The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body on April 25 agreed to establish a panel to review the EU's countervailing duties on new battery electric vehicles from China. The panel was created following China's second request to do so, because Beijing says the CVD violate Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (see 2408140010).