China opened a case at the World Trade Organization against the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act's rules for electric vehicle subsidies and "other measures," the nation's Ministry of Commerce announced March 26, according to an unofficial translation.
The European Council on March 25 added Mohamed Ibrahim al-Shafi'i Al-Salem, the leader of the ISIL-affiliated group Islamic State Sahel Province, to its ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qaeda sanctions regime, the council announced. The ISIL affiliate mainly operates in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Zhiwei "Allen" Liao was sentenced to 51 months in prison and ordered to pay $120,370 for his role in an "international conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit Apple products," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California announced March 25. He also was ordered to forfeit two residences and 200 Apple devices.
The World Trade Organization General Council on March 22 reached consensus on chairpersons for 2024. The new chairs include Norway's Petter Olberg for the General Council, Saudi Arabia's Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel for the dispute settlement body and Chile's Sofia Boza Martinez for the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, among others. The WTO noted that talks on a candidate for the chair of the Committee on Trade in Services will continue under Olberg's care, "with the aim of filling the vacancy as rapidly as possible."
The European Council on March 25 extended until March 31, 2026, its sanctions related to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Council announced. The sanctions target those who undermine the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, threaten the security situation in the nation or "undermine the Dayton/Paris General Framework Agreement for Peace."
The European Commission on March 22 proposed increasing tariffs on imports of cereals, oilseeds and derivative products from Russia and Belarus, including "wheat, maize, and sunflower meal." The European Council will next review the proposal.
India and the U.S. told the World Trade Organization that they reached a solution in the U.S. dispute on India's tariff measures on certain agricultural products, the WTO announced. India and the U.S. resolved six other disputes last year (see 2306230038), the WTO noted.
The EU General Court on March 20 annulled the sanctions listing of tire maker Belshyna AAT, finding that the company wasn't a significant source of revenue for the Belarusian government.
Parties to the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement at the World Trade Organization held a meeting March 19, where they reaffirmed their goal of incorporating the deal into the WTO framework "as a most-favoured-nation-based plurilateral agreement open to all members," the WTO said. In addition, Burkina Faso announced that it supports adding the deal to the WTO framework, becoming the 125th member to do so.
The EU General Court on March 20 annuled the sanctions listing of former Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin, saying the link between Mazepin and his father -- sanctioned Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin -- is insufficient for the driver's listing on the Russia sanctions regime.