The EU is moving forward with new rules on steel to protect the EU market from "global overcapacity," a move likely to exacerbate trade tensions with China in the process.

China’s new Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets, effective this month, mark a major overhaul of the administrative trade secret regime, by expanding protections to include algorithms, source code, and "failed" experimental data, and asserting new extraterritorial powers.

Last week, EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič discussed a number of aspects of current EU-China trade tensions, which have become a bit more heated in recent weeks as the EU discusses a potential new instrument to address imbalances in its bilateral trade with China.

This past week, CTM covered the following issues. China has overhauled its outbound investment regime to enhance national security oversight and arm itself with stronger retaliatory legal tools. The update also creates an explicit legal nexus between cross-border investments and existing data, export control, and technology transfer rules. The

The Government of New Zealand has begun a safeguards investigation of certain aluminum extrusion products. The investigation will examine global imports, but is likely to focus heavily on imports from China.

Beijing on Thursday sharpened its criticism of U.S. export controls and tariff actions that it says are disrupting global trade. It also reiterated its support for companies investing abroad while tightening oversight under the new outbound investment regulation.

Beijing has overhauled its outbound investment regime to enhance national security oversight and arm itself with stronger retaliatory legal tools. The updated regime also creates an explicit legal nexus between cross-border investments and existing data, export control, and technology transfer rules.