China and El Salvador launched free trade agreement negotiations on April 17, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. El Salvador's minister of economy and China's international trade negotiator and vice minister made the virtual announcement.
China’s trade remedy bureau chief met with the EU April 10 to express Beijing’s “strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition” to the bloc’s recent launch of an investigation on Chinese wind turbine suppliers (see 2404100010). “This is a protectionist behavior that harms a fair competitive environment in the name of fair competition,” the official told the EU in Brussels, according to an unofficial translation of a readout released by China’s Ministry of Commerce. China said it “urges the EU to immediately stop and correct its wrong practices.”
China said it “strongly” opposes the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision this week to add Chinese companies to the Entity List, calling on the U.S. to “stop politicizing trade and tech issues and turning them into weapons.” The listings targeted several Chinese firms for allegedly procuring export controlled items for China’s military modernization efforts or for Russia’s military (see 2404100018), but a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson told reporters at a regular press conference April 11 that China and Russia “have the right to normal economic and trade cooperation, and such cooperation should not come under external interference or constraint.”
The EU’s recently announced investigation on Chinese wind turbine suppliers is “discriminatory” toward Chinese companies, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this week (see 2404090038). Speaking during a regular press conference on April 10, a ministry spokesperson said the EU should make sure its probe abides by World Trade Organization rules. “China’s new energy sectors’ development is a result of our strong technology, robust market and full-fledged industrial chains,” the spokesperson said. “China will firmly protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
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.”
Japan issued new Russia trade restrictions, including new export controls and an import ban on certain diamonds, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced, according to an unofficial translation. The measures will take effect April 17 and include export bans on mineral fuels and oils, automotive engine oil, inorganic chemicals and precious metals, plastics, steel products and their parts, tungsten powder, base metal products, boilers and machinery, electrical equipment, yachts and other recreational vessels and optical equipment.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reaffirmed to Chinese officials last week that the U.S. is not looking to decouple the two economies but wants to see changes to Chinese market conditions that she said are hurting American firms.
China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the Biden administration’s annual report released this week on foreign trade barriers, saying it “arbitrarily accused China of so-called ‘non-market’ policies and practices and barriers in agricultural products, data policies and other aspects.” A ministry spokesperson told reporters. in response to a question about the report, that “whether a country's trade policy constitutes a barrier should be judged based on whether it violates” World Trade Organization rules, according to an unofficial translation. “The United States should stop making false accusations against other countries, earnestly abide by WTO rules, and jointly safeguard a fair and just international trade order.”
China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the latest semiconductor export control rule released by the U.S. last week, saying it has “overextended the concept of national security, arbitrarily modified rules, and tightened control measures.” That the U.S. issued an export control update “less than half a year after the last time” has caused “huge uncertainty.”
Australia’s Parliament on March 27 passed the Defence Trade Controls Amendment Act and Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets Act, two key pieces of legislation that are expected to better harmonize its defense trade regulations with the U.S. and the U.K. as part of the AUKUS partnership. The laws will help in “streamlining trade and collaboration with our AUKUS partners,” eliminate red tape on defense trade with both countries and bolster enforcement of illegal defense trade and information sharing, the country’s defense agency said.