World Trade Organization members held talks Dec. 8 on the role of the Services Council in implementing outcomes of the 12th Ministerial Conference, the WTO said. Topics included the Services Waiver for least-developed countries, the e-commerce Work Programme, WTO revisions and exemptions to the most-favored nation principle.

House Ways and Means Committee ranking member Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, and outgoing New Democrats Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., introduced a resolution that asks the U.S. trade representative to re-launch negotiations at the World Trade Organization to liberalize trade in environmental goods.

The U.S. on Dec. 13 confirmed it has received a request from China for consultations at the World Trade Organization over U.S. semiconductor export controls (see 2212120061) and said it opposes China’s move. “As we have already communicated to the [People’s Republic of China], these targeted actions relate to national security, and the WTO is not the appropriate forum to discuss issues related to national security,” Adam Hodge, spokesperson for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said in an emailed statement.

Indonesia officially appealed a ruling from a World Trade Organization dispute panel finding that its ban on the export of nickel ore violates global trade rules, the WTO announced Dec. 12. Indonesia's president signaled that the country would do as much following the panel decision issued Nov. 30 (see 2211300058). However, given that the U.S. has blocked appointments to the appellate body, Indonesia will not have a functioning appellate system to which it can take its case.

The World Trade Organization published the agenda for the Dec. 20 meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body. It includes U.S. status reports on the implementation of recommendations adopted by the DSB on antidumping measures on certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan; antidumping and countervailing measures on large residential washers from South Korea; certain methodologies and their application to antidumping proceedings involving China; and Section 110(5) of the U.S. Copyright Act. A status report also is expected from Indonesia on measures related to the import of horticultural products, animals and animal products, and from the EU on measures affecting the approval and marketing of biotech products.

China took to the World Trade Organization Dec. 12 to challenge U.S. export control measures on semiconductor chips and other products, an official at China's Ministry of Commerce said, according to an unofficial translation. China referred the export restrictions to the trade body's dispute settlement mechanism, claiming the U.S. has been "generalizing the concept of national security."

Trade restrictions are becoming more commonplace in the wake of the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine and food security crisis, the World Trade Organization director-general said in an annual overview of international trading environment developments. The WTO Trade Monitoring Report said the restrictions are coming at a higher clip, especially for food, feed and fertilizers. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called on members to refrain from further adoption of export restrictions in an effort to salvage the global economic outlook.

A World Trade Organization dispute panel found that Indonesia's ban on the export of nickel ore violates global trade rules, circulating its decision on Nov. 30. Indonesia's president said the country will appeal the ruling, reported JakartaGlobe, an Indonesian news outlet.

World Trade Organization members addressed a "record number of trade concerns" during a Nov. 24-25 meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods, the WTO said. Topics included how the council could implement some of the outcomes of the 12th Ministerial Conference: the work program on electronic commerce, the WTO's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and WTO reform. The committee also wanted to continue talks on the Least-Developed Countries Group's proposal for some countries to graduate from LDC status. The next council meeting is April 3-4.

World Trade Organization members during a Nov. 21-22 meeting of the Committee on Agriculture agreed to set up a new work program to tackle food security concerns of least-developed countries and net food-importing developing countries, the WTO announced. The decision effectuates a mandate in the 12th Ministerial Conference's Ministerial Declaration on the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity. Committee Chair Marcel Vernooij was appointed coordinator to facilitate the discussions under the initiative, the WTO said. Members also deferred until the next committee meeting in March the decision on the first triennial review of the operation of the Bali Tariff Rate Quota Decision.