The U.S. critiqued the Multiparty Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), which has been adopted by various nations as an alternative to the defunct World Trade Organization Appellate Body, during a December meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body.

The U.S. requested consultations at the World Trade Organization with China last week concerning China's safeguard investigation on imported beef, which was opened in December 2024 and has been twice extended. Most recently, China's Ministry of Commerce extended the investigation through Jan. 26 (see 2511250038).

China filed a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization about Indian tariffs on information and communication technology products and subsidy measures for high efficiency solar photovoltaic modules, the WTO said Dec. 23.

World Trade Organization members on Dec. 19 agreed to let the EU impose countermeasures on imports from the U.S. due to U.S. violations of WTO rules in its antidumping duty and countervailing duty proceedings on Spanish ripe olives, the WTO announced.

China's Ministry of Commerce said the country has filed a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization over Indian tariffs on information and communication technology products and photovoltaic subsidy measures. China submitted the request Dec. 19, a ministry spokesperson said, adding that it suspects the duties and subsidies violate "several WTO obligations, including binding tariffs and national treatment, and constitute import substitution subsidies, which are expressly prohibited by the WTO."

Delegations to the World Trade Organization understand that if the WTO doesn't reform, things will get worse, rather than holding steady, according to Petter Olberg, Norway’s ambassador to the WTO and the man facilitating reform discussions.

Taiwan opened dispute consultations with Canada at the World Trade Organization regarding Canada's tariff rate quotas and surtax on certain steel goods and its global duty on certain steel derivative goods, the WTO announced. The consultations request formally opens a WTO dispute and gives the parties 60 days to resolve it, after which it will be sent to adjudication before a panel.

The World Trade Organization elected Cameroon's trade minister, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, to serve as chair of the 14th Ministerial Conference, which will be held in Cameroon on March 26-29, the WTO announced. Also during the Dec. 16-17 WTO General Council meeting, members elected three officials to serve as vice chairs for MC14: Jamaica's Kamina Johnson Smith, New Zealand's Todd McClay and the Philippines' Francisco Tiu-Laurel.

The U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization published a blunt response to reform discussions, arguing that the underpinning of the WTO -- that all countries should receive the same tariff rate, unless there is a comprehensive free-trade agreement between them -- was naive, "and that era has passed."

Norway's Petter Olberg, the facilitator on World Trade Organization reform, said he plans to circulate a report that "captures the key issues and perspectives expressed by all members" during "Reform Week," which was held from Dec. 2-5, ahead of the next WTO General Council meeting, which will take place Dec. 16-17, the WTO said. Discussions at Reform Week centered on "i) decision making, ii) development and special and differential treatment, and iii) a level playing field," the WTO said.