Geneva (VNA) – The World Trade Organisation (WTO) committees on trade defence held a series of meetings from April 28 to May 1, the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, the WTO, and other international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland, announced on May 6.
Specifically, the WTO Committee on Safeguards reviewed notifications on safeguard actions concerning 22 products submitted by 13 member countries, with seven cases involving steel or metal products. The European Union drew attention with amendments to its 2019 safeguard measures on certain UK steel products and its 2020 restrictions on other steel imports, while China’s initiation of a safeguard investigation into beef imports in December 2024 also sparked debate.
The committee further discussed a request from the EU and India for consultations under the Safeguards Agreement on US measures imposed under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act.
On April 29, the Chair of the Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures pressed members to submit timely notifications of subsidy programmes to uphold transparency and facilitate effective oversight. The committee examined notifications of subsidy programmes and preliminary and final countervailing duties from several members, including Vietnam. It also reviewed semi-annual reports covering the period from July to December 2024.
The Anti-Dumping Committee similarly reviewed semi-annual reports and preliminary and final anti-dumping measures submitted by member states, including Vietnam. The committee debated several issues, including China’s concerns over US discriminatory subsidy policies and practices, the Republic of Korea’s inquiry into France’s EV subsidy programme, and a joint proposal by the EU, Japan, the UK, and the US addressing subsidies and overcapacity.
The committee’s working group on implementation also looked into technical aspects of anti-dumping investigation procedures.
The next round of meetings for all the three WTO trade defence committees is scheduled for October./.
