Last week, China submitted a WTO communication entitled "Position Paper of China Regarding Japan's Discharge of Nuclear-Contaminated Water into the Ocean."

The China-Japan trade dispute that has resulted from Japan's discharge of treated radioactive wastewater has not yet developed into a formal WTO dispute, but there have been some new developments related to the issue over the past few days.

As CTM reported in early May, at the May 2 meeting of the WTO's Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, a number of issues were raised by other WTO Members about China's subsidy policies; and China brought up concerns with certain U.S. measures, including the

Pursuant to Article 16.4 of the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement, China recently provided its semi-annual report of its anti-dumping actions, covering the period January 1 – June 30, 2023.

Last week, China notified the WTO of its emergency restrictions on Japanese aquatic products based on Japan's discharge of treated radioactive water, and Japan has now raised objections at the WTO.

The political difficulties that arose in relation to appointing a Chair of the WTO's GPA Committee may be continuing in the context of appointments to the WTO's subsidy expert group.

At a Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures meeting on May 2, for which the minutes have recently been circulated, WTO Members reviewed subsidy notifications that had been made, including the notifications made by China.