This past week, CTM covered the following issues.

During a visit to China by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canada and China were able to work through some of their trade conflicts and reach an apparent truce. 

Speaking at the World Economic Forum this week, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said that Beijing "wants to buy, but others are unwilling to sell," blaming the growing "securitization" of trade for its trade imbalances.

China has reshaped the geopolitical and economic landscape of Eurasia, officially overtaking Russia to become the largest trading partner of the five Central Asian nations, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

At a press conference, the spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) defended the Ministry's targeted export controls against Japan, characterizing them as "justified, reasonable, and legal" responses to Japan's alleged "threat of force against China" and "accelerated remilitarization."

President Trump raised the possibility of Chinese investment in the U.S. auto sector, but the responses of administration officials who were asked about the idea made it clear that such a development is unlikely.

The U.S. Commerce Department announced a deal with Taiwan related to trade and investment, giving Taiwan partial relief from the U.S. "reciprocal" and other tariffs in exchange for Taiwanese investment commitments in the U.S. semiconductor industry.

In a recent anti-dumping determination, the European Commission has, for the first time, invoked the concept of "economic security" as part of its reasoning in a case.

At the WTO, China followed up on its first ever WTO request for consultations with India by filing a panel request related to India's measures to promote the automotive and renewable energy sectors.

Brazil requested consultations under the Safeguards Agreement related to China's beef safeguards measures, following earlier requests from Australia and the U.S. The impact of China's new quotas varies significantly by country, with Brazil taking the largest hit.

At the meeting of the WTO Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures on October 28, 2025, for which the minutes were recently circulated, the U.S. pressed China on more details of subsidies provided as part of its "First Set Technology Equipment Programme."