China on Monday requested the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism to set up an expert panel over the United States' Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Underlining important contributions China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has made to global green energy transition and global response to climate change, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce said that China in March requested WTO consultations regarding parts of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act that subsidize NEVs. As the U.S. failed to reach a solution with China through consultations, the Chinese side put up a request for the setup of an expert panel.
The spokesperson pointed out that the U.S. IRA sets a premise on the use of products from the United States and other designated regions for subsidies, excluding products from China and other WTO members, artificially setting up trade barriers, and driving up the cost of green energy transition. No matter how the Act is sugar-coated, it cannot change the discriminatory, protectionist, and WTO-rule violating nature of the subsidies involved, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson pointed out that China's resolute advancement of the litigation process is to take practical actions to safeguard the authority and effectiveness of the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, and to safeguard the joint international efforts to address climate change.
China agrees that WTO members should implement industrial subsidies in a manner in compliance with WTO rules, support green energy transformation, and promote economic and social development, the spokesperson said, stressing that China once again urges the United States to abide by WTO rules and stop abusing industrial policies to undermine international cooperation on climate change.
China requests WTO to establish panel over US act
Efforts are continuing to search for survivors of last Friday's powerful earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, as other post-disaster work proceeds in some parts of the city at the same time to clear the rubble of collapsed buildings, provide medical care for the injured and proper shelter for the affected, and prevent the spread of potential diseases.
According to a Myanmar rescuer participating in search and rescue operations in the country's second-largest city, the clock is ticking down to find more survivors who remain buried under the debris of collapsed buildings more than five days after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake rocked the country. The disaster has claimed 3,085 lives, injured 4,715, and left 341 more missing, the Information Team of the State Administration Council said on Thursday local time.
"The top priority for us rescuers is finding more survivors. But since a long time has already passed, our next main task will be to recover the bodies of the victims," Ko Kyaw Min, head of a rescue team from Hpakant, a town in Kachin State, told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue operations as well as epidemic prevention and control efforts in Mandalay are facing multiple hurdles such as a lack of power and water supplies, a communication blackout, and high temperatures that have persisted for days.
The relevant authorities in Mandalay are going all out to restore electricity, water and communication services in the stricken areas and have brought in large machinery to clear the rubble and debris.
An air route dedicated to disaster relief has been put into operation at the city's airport since Wednesday, and another civil aviation route is expected to open on Friday, a CCTV reporter learned from local officials.
The city is also seeing more medical teams arriving to assist in treating the injured, and more relief supplies such as tents, food, drinking water, and medicine are pouring in and being distributed to the affected locals.
Post-disaster relief work ongoing in Mandalay as authorities strive to restore basic services
