Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2665 actions· ✨ 90 recent

USTR formally initiated the second statutorily mandated four-year review of its Section 301 investigation into China's acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation (Federal Register 2026-08806, published May 6, 2026). The review covers tariff actions imposed on approximately $300 billion of Chinese goods across Lists 1–4B (25% on most lists; 7.5% on List 4A) and will determine whether those actions should be continued, modified, or terminated. Interested parties may file continuation requests in two 60-day windows: May 7–July 5, 2026 (for the July 6, 2018 action) and June 24– August 22, 2026 (for the August 23, 2018 action). DISTINCT from the March 2026 Section 301 excess-capacity investigations (which target 16 economies on overcapacity sectors) and from the June 2026 Section 301 forced-labor enforcement action (60 economies); this review is China-specific, IP/TT-focused, and mandated by the original Biden-era statutory clock under Section 304(c) of the Trade Act of 1974.

CEER, Saudi Arabia's PIF-backed electric-vehicle manufacturer, signed 16 commercial localisation agreements worth over SAR 3.7 billion (~USD 986 million) with domestic and international suppliers at the fourth PIF Private Sector Forum in Riyadh on 9 February 2026. The agreements cover components including EV coolants, brake fluids, aerodynamic covers, front-end modules, polymer compounds, automotive glazing, HVAC systems and body-shop equipment, and build on SAR 5.5 billion in agreements signed at the same forum in 2025. CEER states the localisation drive targets sourcing 45% of vehicle materials and components from Saudi companies by 2034.

Brazil's Foreign Trade Chamber executive committee (GECEX) issued Resolution No. 794 on 25 September 2025, published in the Diário Oficial da União on 26 September 2025, revoking Ex-Tarifário duty exemptions on six specific tariff-line items spanning three prior ex-tarifário annexes: one Information Technology/Telecommunications line (NCM 9032.89.82, Ex 043, under Resolução Gecex 323/2022), and five Capital Goods lines covering mining-boring machinery (NCM 8430.41.20, Ex 015/025/050, under Resolução Gecex 311/2022), machine-tools for stone/ceramics working (NCM 8464.10.00, Ex 059), industrial washing/cleaning machinery parts (NCM 8450.90.10, Ex 029/032/033) and refrigeration-equipment parts (NCM 8418.99.00, Ex 048) (all under Resolução Gecex 322/2022). The affected lines revert from the reduced Ex-Tarifário rate (typically 0%) to Brazil's standard Mercosur Common External Tariff (TEC) rate, effective 60 days after publication (25 November 2025) — the date Global Trade Alert records as implementation.

On 31 August 2025, Germany's federally mandated export credit agency (branded "Euler Hermes" / AGA, operated by Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft on behalf of the Federal Republic) confirmed export credit guarantee cover — spanning manufacturing risk, supplier credit, contract bond, and buyer credit cover — backing SMS group GmbH's (Düsseldorf) export of a cold rolling complex to H2 Green Steel's hydrogen-based direct-reduction steelworks under construction in Boden, northern Sweden. The guarantee de-risks a German capital-goods export underpinning one of Europe's first large-scale near-zero-carbon primary steel plants. Global Trade Alert logs this as a state trade-finance intervention; the guaranteed amount itself is not publicly disclosed.

Alat, a Public Investment Fund (PIF) company established to advance Saudi Arabia's advanced-manufacturing ambitions under Vision 2030, closed a EUR 160 million (~USD 185 million) joint venture with Germany's TK Elevator on 5 August 2025 to manufacture and service elevators, escalators, and moving walks in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi and wider MENA market. Alat separately acquired a 15% long-term equity stake in TK Elevator itself. The JV establishes what Alat and TKE describe as the first elevator/escalator manufacturing operation in Saudi Arabia by a global company, including a product-development centre and training facility, and is a direct antecedent to the later TKE ALAT groundbreaking on a ~SAR 285 million (~EUR 65 million) manufacturing facility in Dammam's Third Industrial City.

Brazil's Foreign Trade Chamber executive committee (GECEX) issued Resolution No. 745, dated 3 July 2025 and published in the Diário Oficial da União on 4 July 2025 (Edition 124, Section 1, page 38), amending Annex I of Resolução Gecex nº 322/2022 — the Ex-Tarifário regime granting temporary duty reductions (typically to 0%) on capital- goods tariff lines with no equivalent domestic production. Sources describe roughly 429 ex-tarifário grants processed under the amendment (a mix of new and republished duty-free codes), alongside a smaller set of exclusions/revocations from the annex; the duty-free grants carry a temporary revocation date of 31 December 2025. The amendment took effect 11 July 2025 (seven days after publication). Global Trade Alert classifies the measure as a "Red" (trade-restrictive/ discriminatory) import-tariff intervention, consistent with its treatment of GECEX's narrow, discretionary Ex-Tarifário product-line grants as favouring specific importers rather than liberalising trade economy-wide.

New Zealand Customs Service, acting under section 8 of the Tariff Act 1988, published Tariff Concession Approvals, Withdrawals and Declines Notice (No. 17) 2025 in the Gazette on 4 July 2025. The notice grants new duty-free tariff concessions on goods across tariff items 3919-9405 (adhesive tapes and films, fibreglass products, industrial machinery, heating/cooling equipment, electronic controls and marine vessels) not manufactured domestically, effective 1 July 2025, while withdrawing a comparable set of prior concession approvals effective 30 June 2025. This is a routine, periodic administrative tariff-concession cycle rather than a discrete policy announcement.

New Zealand Customs Service, acting under section 8 of the Tariff Act 1988, published Tariff Concession Approvals, Withdrawals and Declines Notice (No. 18) 2025 in the Gazette on 4 July 2025. The notice withdraws 16 previously approved duty-free tariff concessions spanning laminated films, building panels, filtering and aggregate-processing equipment, thermostatic valves, railway safety systems and anti-pollution barriers, effective 14 days from publication, with importers given one calendar month to lodge objections. This is a routine, periodic administrative tariff-concession withdrawal cycle rather than a discrete policy announcement.

The Australian Border Force published Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. TC 25/25 on 2 July 2025 under sections 269K and 269R of the Customs Act 1901, covering new Tariff Concession Order (TCO) applications and TCOs made for goods not produced domestically (solvents, adhesives, geotextiles, ceramics, glass fibre fabric, HDPE/LLDPE resins, subsea and rail hardware), each carrying a 5% general-tariff duty-free concession, plus revocations and a cheese quota allocation notice. This is a routine, periodic administrative tariff-concession cycle rather than a discrete policy announcement.

The Australian Border Force published Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. TC 25/22 on 11 June 2025 under sections 269K, 269R and 269SE of the Customs Act 1901. The gazette lists new Tariff Concession Order (TCO) applications, eight TCOs made (moving corrosion inhibitors, compostable- film polymers, furnace cooling systems, aseptic food-processing machinery, reverse-osmosis filters, oilfield drilling parts and pallet-manufacturing robotics from the 5% general tariff rate to duty-free), one withdrawn application, and five local-manufacturer-initiated TCO revocations (reinstating the 5% general tariff rate on steel access-box, formwork and crown-seal products effective 22-24 January 2025). This is a routine, periodic administrative tariff-concession cycle rather than a discrete policy announcement.

Brazil's Foreign Trade Chamber executive committee (GECEX) issued Resolution No. 726, signed 20 May 2025 and published in the Diário Oficial da União on 21 May 2025, amending the Annex I tariff schedule set by Resolution Gecex No. 322 (4 April 2022). The measure eliminates import duties (reducing to 0%) on 256 capital-goods items spanning 107 six-digit NCM tariff codes, and raises import duties on 9 capital-goods items across 9 six-digit NCM codes, for a combined 274 affected tariff lines. The changes took effect 28 May 2025, one week after publication. Global Trade Alert classifies the measure "Red" (trade-restrictive) overall and flags Austria, Belgium and Canada among the trading partners most exposed by historical trade volume in the affected pumps, compressors, industrial-oven and furnace, and lifting/handling equipment lines.

BIS final rule (FR Doc 2024-19132, 89 FR 68539, published 27 August 2024) expanding the Russia/Belarus-Military End User (MEU) Foreign-Direct Product (FDP) rule under the Export Administration Regulations so that it also applies to transactions involving Entity List entries posing a significant diversion risk to Russia's and Belarus's defense industry or intelligence services — the rule is renamed accordingly. The rule also imposes new export, reexport, and in-country transfer controls on software for the operation of computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools destined for Russia or Belarus, and makes corrections eliminating obsolete cross- references introduced by the BIS 25 January 2024 and 18 June 2024 Russia/Belarus final rules. Effective 27 August 2024, except amendatory instruction 11 effective 16 September 2024.

BIS final rule (FR Doc 2024-13148, 89 FR 51644, RIN 0694-AJ87) expanding the Export Administration Regulations' Russia and Belarus sanctions architecture. Effective 12 June 2024 (most provisions) and 16 September 2024 (the EAR99 enterprise-software paragraph at §746.8(a)(8)), the rule introduces a new licence requirement for thirteen named categories of EAR99 enterprise software (ERP, CRM, BI, SCM, EDW, CMMS, project management, PLM, BIM, CAD, CAM, ETO) destined for Russia or Belarus; permits address-only Entity List designations to capture high-diversion addresses; adds eight Hong Kong addresses to the Entity List; and refines the Russia/Belarus Industry Sector Sanctions and Foreign Direct Product (FDP) rule. Released the day before the G7 Italy summit alongside coordinated OFAC, State, and Treasury actions that together designated 300+ persons and entities.

Decreto-legge n. 19 of 2 March 2024 ("PNRR-quater"), converted into Law n. 56 of 29 April 2024, delivers Italy's fourth package of NGEU/PNRR implementation measures. Article 38 establishes the Transizione 5.0 plan, a EUR 6.3 billion tax-credit programme financed from ECOFIN-derived RepowerEU allocations targeting combined digital and energy-transition capital expenditure by Italian firms in fiscal years 2024–2025. The plan requires a certified minimum energy-consumption reduction (≥3% at production-structure level or ≥5% at process level) and relies on the GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici) for ex-ante and ex-post energy-savings audits, making this the first Italian industrial-policy instrument to hard-wire measurable energy efficiency into capex-incentive eligibility.

MOTIE finalised the 31st amendment of the Public Notice on Trade of Strategic Items on 24 April 2023, effective 28 April 2023, adding 741 items to the Russia/Belarus situational-licence (상황허가) list. The added items span industrial machinery, petroleum and gas refining equipment, steel, chemicals, automotive goods and quantum computers judged to have high military-diversion potential. MOTIE stated the amendment brings Korea's export-control coverage of Russia/Belarus closer to that of the US, EU and Japan, incorporating 2022 international export-control-regime agreements and reflecting the US's 2nd-6th Russia sanctions rounds and a substantial part of the EU's measures.

The Bureau of Industry and Security expanded EAR sanctions against Russia and Belarus effective 15 September 2022, adding new export-control categories covering quantum computing equipment and related technology (new licensing requirements under a near-total policy of denial), discrete chemicals and biologics including fentanyl precursors and CBW-related production equipment (new Supplement No. 6 to Part 746), and 57 EAR99 industrial items added to the industry-sector sanctions list (Supplement No. 4). Six entities were concurrently designated as Russian Military End Users (MEU), and MEU/MIEU licensing restrictions were extended worldwide (previously limited to six countries). The rule also extended the Foreign Direct Product Rule to additional categories of foreign-made items.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) expanded export-control sanctions on Russian industry by adding 205 HTS codes (478 Schedule B numbers) to Supplement No. 4 to Part 746 of the EAR, imposing a license requirement — with a presumption of denial — for all exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country) to or within Russia of covered industrial goods. The targeted categories span wood products, boilers, industrial machinery, pumps, compressors, textile and grinding equipment, and hydraulic motors, aligning U.S. controls with EU partner lists. The rule took retroactive effect May 9, 2022, two days before Federal Register publication on May 11, 2022.

Russian Government Resolution No. 506 of 29 March 2022, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and effective 30 March 2022, authorises the Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg) to designate categories of goods exempt from articles 1252(4), 1359(6) and 1487 of the Russian Civil Code on national/regional exhaustion of trademark and other intellectual- property rights. Followed by Minpromtorg Order No. 1532 of 19 April 2022 publishing an initial list of 55 goods categories and named brands — including pharmaceuticals, electronics, automotive parts, mineral fuels, industrial chemicals, paper, textiles, base metals, and consumer goods — for which parallel (grey-market) imports without IP-holder consent are legalised. Designed as a sanctions-circumvention and supply-substitution instrument after the Western corporate exodus of March 2022; extended annually and most recently re-authorised through 31 December 2026.

Effective 2 March 2022, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) extended to Belarus the same sweeping EAR sanctions imposed on Russia following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The rule adds Commerce Control List (CCL)-based license requirements for Belarus with a policy of denial across virtually all categories, extends both the Russia Foreign Direct Product (FDP) rule and the Russia Military End User (MEU) FDP rule to cover Belarus and Belarusian military end users, and aligns Belarus with Russia's license review policy. The action was triggered by Belarus's active enablement of the Russian military operation from its territory.