The World Trade Organization's Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises appointed Ambassador Matthew Wilson of Barbados its coordinator during an April 26 meeting, the WTO said. Also at this meeting, the working group discussed benefits of digitalization for small businesses, the role of intellectual property rights in facilitating access to financing for small businesses and how these companies grapple with sustainability standards, the WTO said.

Timor-Leste moved into the final stages of its accession to the World Trade Organization, with members last week welcoming the nation's "strong and sustained efforts" to join the global trade body by the 13th Ministerial Conference, the WTO said. Working Party on the Accession of Timor-Leste Chair Rui Macieira of Portugal noted Timor-Leste's progress since the last meeting, including the official submission of the country's draft Information Technology Agreement and ITA Expansion schedules of commitments to the ITA Committee and the ITA Expansion Group. MC13 will be held in February.

World Trade Organization members said during an April 20 discussion under the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce that there is a need for more exchanges on the topic of the e-commerce moratorium, the WTO said. The exchanges should center in particular on the moratorium's "definition, scope, and implications on developing countries." During the discussion, Indonesia presented its draft regulation with provisions on imposing customs duties on electronically transmitted digital goods. Mauritius' Ambassador Usha Dwarka-Canabady, facilitator of the work programme and the e-commerce moratorium, noted that a workshop on the relevant international organizations will run June 1-2, the WTO said, giving an opportunity for members to discuss the four thematic sessions conducted under the work programme so far covering the moratorium, the digital divide, consumer protection, and legal and regulatory frameworks.

Dispute panels at the World Trade Organization released panel reports April 17 in cases brought by the EU, Taiwan and Japan and dealing with India's tariff treatment on certain goods in the information and communications technology sector, the WTO announced. In all three cases, the dispute panels found India's duties violated its WTO tariff commitments under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and Article II of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Japan and China agreed to enter into arbitration under the World Trade Organization's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Agreement, an alternative to the Appellate Body, related to a spat over China's antidumping duties on stainless steel products from Japan. Submitting a notice of agreed procedures for arbitration, Japan and China said they will take to arbitration, given that there are less than three AB members.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai officially signed the instrument of acceptance of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies deal struck at the 12th Ministerial Conference. With the signing, the U.S. became the fourth WTO member, and first large fishing nation, to formally accept the deal. Two-thirds of WTO members must accept the deal for it to take effect.

Australia will pause its World Trade Organization case against China on barley for three months while Beijing reviews its restrictions, Australia announced this week. China placed 80.5% duties on Australian barley in 2020. The parties recently carried out "constructive dialogue at all levels," leading to a three- to four-month reprieve in the WTO case, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said April 11.

The Philippines notified the World Trade Organization on April 4 that it began a preliminary safeguard investigation on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders. The investigation was initiated after a request by the country’s LPG steel cylinder industry, which said increased imports of the cylinders “cause serious injury to the domestic industry,” including “declining market share, production, sales, capacity utilization, employment profitability, incurred losses, and existence of price depression and price undercutting.” Interested parties can comment on the investigation by making submissions to the Bureau of Import Services via bis_irmd@dti.gov.ph within five days of April 4.

World Trade Organization members were updated on dispute settlement system reform informal talks during the March 31 meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body, the WTO said. Guatemala's Deputy Permanent Representative to the WTO, Marco Molina he held over 40 bilateral meetings with delegates and regional coordinators representing over 130 WTO nations in February. "An online template was created" so that countries could submit proposals, and 70 have been received to date, the WTO said. Molina said a calendar of meetings up to the first week of July was created, and that members expect to include agreed-to solutions in a "green" table before the summer break, laying a foundation for drafting reform points once members return from the break and concluding at the end of the year.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said her team is on "phase three" of its reform talks at the World Trade Organization, saying that phase brings in all WTO members. Tai, speaking during a March 24 House Ways and Means Committee hearing, said her team in Geneva is "bringing written proposals every meeting" with the goal of making "a more functional negotiating forum." The aim is to move WTO dispute settlement away from litigation and toward negotiation, Tai said. She also decried the WTO's recent rulings against the Section 232 national security tariff action, saying they "are deeply concerning to us and to our national security sovereignty."