This past week, CTM covered the following issues. In China: * MOFCOM’s trade remedy measures on Taiwanese plastics and U.S. chemicals * The 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries * Updated export control rules on precursor chemicals In North America: * Event

Earlier this week, a group of U.S. solar manufacturers filed AD/CVD petitions against products made by mostly Chinese-owned solar companies operating in four Southeast Asian countries. The Commerce Department's new rules that allow it to examine "transnational" subsidies – i.e., subsidies provided by a

At an event on the U.S. Section 301 investigation into Chinese practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sector, a number of trade policy experts weighed in on various aspects of the case.

Today, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its Special 301 report "on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights," repeating many of its long-standing complaints about Chinese policies and practices in this area.

Today, the European Commission initiated its first investigation under its International Procurement Instrument (IPI), in response to measures and practices in the Chinese procurement market for medical devices which it says "discriminate unfairly against European companies and products."

At a meeting of the WTO's Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures today, issues related to the EU's countervailing duty investigation on Chinese electric vehicles, subsidies and overcapacity, and U.S. semiconductor subsidies were all discussed.

In official notices published yesterday, the European Commission has provided additional details on the Foreign Subsidies Regulation investigation it is undertaking in relation to a public procurement contract for a Romanian government solar project, based on Chinese subsidies to some of the companies involved.