China officially requested dispute consultations with the U.S. at the World Trade Organization Dec. 15 over American export controls on certain semiconductors, the WTO announced. China, which announced the move earlier in the week (see 2212120061), said the restrictions violate Article XXII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT), Article XXII of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, Article 8 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures and Article 64.1 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.

Ambassador Maria Pagan, who leads the U.S. delegation at the World Trade Organization, defended the U.S. during the two-day session in Geneva that began Dec. 14. All countries in the WTO must answer questions about their policies every few years.

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.

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.

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."

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.

The World Trade Organization issued a series of four rulings Dec. 9 finding that the U.S. Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs set by President Donald Trump violated global trade rules. In the landmark rulings, a three-person panel found that the duties violated Articles I, II, XI and XXI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The dispute panel said the tariffs, which the Trump administration said were needed to maintain U.S. national security, were not "taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations," as mandated by Article XXI(b)(iii) of national security protections, so the duties violate the GATT.

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.

The EU requested two World Trade Organization dispute settlement panels over trade disputes with China, the European Commission announced. One dispute concerns Chinese trade restrictions on Lithuanian exports and EU exports with Lithuanian content. The other deals with the legality of Beijing restricting EU high-tech patent holders from accessing EU courts. The WTO action comes after bilateral talks over the issues fell through, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said.