China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced today that it had requested that the World Trade Organization (WTO) set up a panel to hear its claim that subsidies for new energy vehicles provided under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) violate a number of WTO obligations.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against six military and defense companies and some executives last week, based on arms sales to Taiwan.

On July 10, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced the launch of a trade barrier investigation against the European Union's Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which has recently been used several times against Chinese companies.

Data published by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) indicates that the export controls on gallium and germanium put in place by Beijing last summer have not impacted overall exports significantly, although the impact varies among countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tajikistan last week, vowing more cooperation between the two nations in new energy, mining, and trade.

Last month, China announced a new regulation on rare earths, tightening control over the industry.

On June 22, China's Ministry of Commerce concluded its expiry review of anti-dumping duties on styrene imports from South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, and decided to keep the duties in place.