The World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body on May 23 heard China's first request to establish a dispute panel on Canada's surtax on Chinese products, including electric vehicles and steel and aluminum products, the WTO said. Canada said it's not ready to accept the panel at this time, punting the issue to the next DSB meeting, which is scheduled for June 23.

The European Parliament on May 22 endorsed a European Commission proposal that it said would exempt 90% of EU importers from the bloc's upcoming carbon border tax (see 2502060060). The new rules would mostly exclude small and medium-sized companies that import "only small quantities" of goods covered by the carbon border adjustment mechanism -- less than 50 metric tons of those goods per year.

The International Trade Commission is investigating the state of the nonfat milk solids exporting industry in the U.S. and other major supplier nations, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and certain EU member states, the commission said last week. The ITC said it will analyze the “export competitiveness” of those industries and prepare a public report on export trends, a comparison of the “competitive strengths and weaknesses” of producers and exporters in those countries, and more. The investigation, requested by the U.S. trade representative, will focus on the 2020-2024 period. The ITC will hold a public hearing on the investigation on July 28 and is accepting written comments by Oct. 14. It expects to submit its report to USTR by March 23, 2026.

The State Department approved a possible $296 million military sale to Estonia, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said last week. The sale includes Javelin missiles and related equipment, and the principal contractors will be the Javelin Joint Venture between RTX and Lockheed Martin.

The Consolidated Screening List -- the comprehensive list of entities and people subject to U.S. export controls and other trade restrictions -- has recently been experiencing issues and isn't up to date, the Commerce Department said in a notice on its website last week. While the list's search engine still works, "it has not been updating consistently from the source files since April 21, 2025."

Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., have been appointed to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for the 119th Congress. Last year, the commission called for imposing export controls and foreign investment restrictions to prevent China from using biotechnology to commit human rights abuses (see 2412270037).

A bipartisan group of five senators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., reintroduced a bill May 21 that would mandate sanctions against Haitian criminal gangs and the political and economic elites who support them.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., reintroduced a bill May 22 that would repeal the 2026 sunset provision of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, which calls for sanctioning Iran’s weapons programs and support for terrorism. The proposed Solidify Iran Sanctions Act, which was referred to the Banking Committee, passed the House in early May (see 2505060054).

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced a bill May 22 that would make the Defense Department’s Section 1260H List of Chinese military companies exempt from judicial review.

President Donald Trump said May 23 that Japan-based Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will enter a “planned partnership” that will invest in the 124-year-old American company while preserving its identity.