China Launches Investigations Into U.S. Trade Practices

In late March, China’s Ministry of Commerce launched a pair of investigations into U.S. trade practices in response to similar probes from the U.S. government. (Learn more about those probes by checking out the last edition of Connecting the Dots.)

The first investigation will examine whether U.S. measures are disrupting global supply chains, while the second will look into U.S. practices that may be hindering the trade of so-called green products. (The ministry did not define which products would be included in this category.) According to Supply Chain Dive, both investigations will be carried out over the next six months, with the ministry utilizing questionnaires, hearings, and onsite investigations for its inquiry.

The United States is not the only North American country the Chinese government is going after. Chinese officials also recently suggested they may place retaliatory tariffs on Mexican products after concluding a formal investigation into penalties the Mexican government recently imposed on more than 1,400 categories of Asian goods. As the South China Morning Post reported, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said the Mexican government’s tariffs, which range from five to 50 percent on 1,463 product categories, restrict the entry of Chinese goods, services, and investment into the Mexican market and constitute barriers to trade.