China Drops Antidumping Duties on Japanese Stainless Steel Products

China lifted its antidumping measures on Japanese stainless steel products July 23, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced, according to an unofficial translation.

The duties were found to be inconsistent with China's World Trade Organization commitments by a dispute settlement panel in June 2023 (see 2306200028). With the WTO's Appellate Body rendered defunct by the U.S., China and Japan agreed to resolve the issue through the trade body's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) -- an alternative to the Appellate Body (see 2304140042).

However, Japan said the MPIA arbitration system wasn't ultimately used and that China agreed to implement the panel's recommendation by May 8. China officially lifted the duties July 23, Japan said.