Ministry of Commerce: Launching a trade barrier investigation into the United States' practices and measures that disrupt the global production and supply chains

On March 27, People’s Financial News reported that the Ministry of Commerce has initiated a trade barrier investigation into the practices and measures of the United States that undermine global supply chains. In accordance with the Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Commerce’s Rules on Trade Barrier Investigations, the Ministry can independently investigate trade barriers imposed by relevant countries and regions to maintain the order of foreign trade. Preliminary evidence and information obtained by the Ministry indicate that the United States has implemented numerous practices and measures that severely disrupt global supply chains in trade-related areas, including but not limited to: restricting or prohibiting Chinese products from entering the U.S. market, restricting or prohibiting the export of high-tech products to China, and restricting or prohibiting bilateral investment in key sectors. The aforementioned practices and measures may seriously harm the trade interests of Chinese enterprises, with some measures suspected of violating World Trade Organization rules and other economic and trade treaties or agreements mutually established or participated in by both China and the United States. In accordance with Article 41 and Article 42 of the Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China and Article 12 and Article 35 of the Rules on Trade Barrier Investigations, the Ministry of Commerce has decided to launch a trade barrier investigation into the relevant practices and measures of the United States starting March 27, 2026.