MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING

HELD ON 29 APRIL 2025

CHAIR: DR WOLFRAM SPELTEN (GERMANY)

1._       The Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures ("Committee") held a regular meeting on 29 April 2025, convened in WTO/AIR/SCM/61 dated 17 April 2025. The meeting was held in person and virtually via Interprefy.

2._       The Chair reminded all delegations about the changes in the system for receiving communications from the Secretariat. Specifically, the old contact details list previously used for sending courtesy copies of communications and certain documents has been abolished following the introduction of the new E-delegate platform. In March 2024, the Secretariat had emailed the delegations regarding this issue, along with a slide explaining how to register on the e-delegate platform. This slide was available on the Committee's webpage under the frequently asked questions section titled "How to follow the Committee and receive emails, etc." The Chair emphasized that delegations would no longer receive courtesy copies of emails, reminders, and certain documents unless they registered on the E-delegate platform and strongly urged them to do so to receive all such communications and documents. He noted that this was in addition to registering to the e‑agenda platform itself, where delegations could upload their statements next to each agenda item and have access to the meeting documents, and that the link to the e-agenda platform existed on the Committee's webpage under "Key digital tools."

3._       The Chair drew attention to the presentations made by the Secretariat on the functioning of the Committee and the e-agenda platform, noting that the audio and video of both presentations, as well as the PDF versions, were available on the Committee's webpage in all three languages. He encouraged delegations who missed the presentation or were unsure where to find the Committee's webpage to contact the Secretariat. He informed that the first training session on the functioning of the Committee for the year 2025 had been held on 14 February 2025. Finally, he reminded delegations that to ensure they were informed when a document had been circulated, they should click on the _e-subscription tab on the WTO website, register their email, and select the "subsidies and countervailing measures box," after which they would receive daily notifications of all documents circulated in this area.

4._       Before the adoption of the agenda, and with respect to the agenda item 13, China reiterated two main points.

5._       First, it stated that the SCM Committee was not the appropriate forum to discuss capacity, and the inclusion of this issue in the agenda did not justify that it was correct to do so. When the so-called overcapacity topic had first appeared on the Committee's agenda in April 2017, China had stated that "overcapacity was not a trade-related issue which was related to the operation of the Agreement or the furtherance of its objectives as referred in Article 24.1 of the Agreement. Therefore, the issue of overcapacity was not in the terms of reference of the Committee and the Committee is not an appropriate forum for the discussion of this issue." However, to facilitate the proceeding of the Committee, China had not blocked the adoption of the agenda emphasizing that the inclusion of this item should not set a precedent or represent any degree of consensus by Members on including similar issues in future Committee meetings or any subsidiary bodies of the WTO. China's position had not changed.

6._       Second, China observed that continued discussions had not been beneficial. The item had remained on the agenda for several meetings, positions had been repeatedly clarified and no progress had been achieved. It stated that so-called overcapacity was not necessarily the consequence of subsidy, that its definition was unclear and its causal link with subsidy extremely vague, giving no basis for discussion. A false narrative and misleading story made up by certain Members had targeted China with wrong accusations, wasting valuable time and resources and increasing tension, while the real, biggest threats to multilateralism were unilateralism and protectionism of a certain Member that had egregiously violated WTO rules and principles by abusing tariffs around the world.

7._       Consequently, China maintained its opposition to discussing this topic in the Committee but, to facilitate the Committee's work, would not block adoption of the agenda. It emphasised that this stance did not imply agreement with the proponents nor consensus on including similar issues in future meetings of the Committee or any subsidiary body of the WTO, and it asked the Committee and other Members to take note of its position.

8._          The Committee adopted the following agenda:

1  National legislation – new notifications. 4

1.1  Review of notifications of new or amended legislation or regulations not
previously reviewed by the Committee (including Supplemental Notifications
of existing provisions not previously reviewed) 4

1.1.1  Armenia (G/ADP/N/1/ARM/3/Suppl.1 - G/SCM/N/1/ARM/3/Suppl.1 - G/SG/N/1/ARM/3/Suppl.1) 4

1.1.2  Cambodia (G/ADP/N/1/KHM/2/Suppl.1 - G/SCM/N/1/KHM/2/Suppl.1 - G/SG/N/1/KHM/2/Suppl.1) 4

1.1.3  Kazakhstan (G/ADP/N/1/KAZ/1/Suppl.1 - G/SCM/N/1/KAZ/1/Suppl.1 - G/SG/N/1/KAZ/1/Suppl.1) 4

1.1.4  Kyrgyz Republic (G/ADP/N/1/KGZ/3/Suppl.2 - G/SCM/N/1/KGZ/3/Suppl.2 - G/SG/N/1/KGZ/3/Suppl.2) 5

1.1.5  Russian Federation (G/ADP/N/1/RUS/2/Suppl.1 - G/SCM/N/1/RUS/2/Suppl.1 - G/SG/N/1/RUS/2/Suppl.1) 5

1.1.6  United Kingdom (G/ADP/N/1/GBR/1/Suppl.19 - G/SCM/N/1/GBR/1/Suppl.18 - G/SG/N/1/GBR/1/Suppl.17) 5

1.1.7  United States (G/ADP/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.37 - G/SCM/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.38, G/ADP/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.38 - G/SCM/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.39, G/ADP/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.39 - G/SCM/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.40, and G/ADP/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.40 - G/SCM/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.41 - G/SG/N/1/USA/1/Suppl.4) 5

1.2  Review of notifications of new or amended legislation or regulations with
outstanding written questions. 6

1.2.1  Kyrgyz Republic (G/ADP/N/1/KGZ/3/Suppl.2 - G/SCM/N/1/KGZ/3/Suppl.2 - G/SG/N/1/KGZ/3/Suppl.2) 6

1.2.2  Saint Kitts and Nevis (G/ADP/N/1/KNA/1 - G/SCM/N/1/KNA/1) 6

1.2.3  Solomon Islands (G/ADP/N/1/SLB/1 – G/SCM/N/1/SLB/1 – G/SG/N/1/SLB/1) 6

2  National legislation – continuing review of legislative
notifications previously reviewed by the committee. 7

2.1  Outstanding written follow-up questions concerning previously reviewed legislative notifications posed under this agenda item at previous committee meetings: 7

2.1.1  European Union (G/ADP/N/1/EU/3/Suppl.2 ‑ G/SCM/N/1/EU/2/Suppl.2 and G/ADP/N/1/EU/3/Suppl.3 ‑ G/SCM/N/1/EU/2/Suppl.3) 7

2.1.2  Ghana (G/ADP/N/1/GHA/2 - G/SCM/N/1/GHA/2 - G/SG/N/1/GHA/2) 7

3  semi-annual reports of COUNTERVAILING DUTY actions
(article 25.11). 8

4  PRELIMINARY AND FINAL COUNTERVAILING DUTY ACTIONS:
NOTIFICATIONS: AD hoc notifications. 17

5  procedures for review of 2025 new and full notifications. 18

6  ARTICLE 27.4 EXTENSIONS OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD FOR THE
ELIMINATION OF EXPORT SUBSIDIES – 31 DECEMBER 2015 END OF
FINAL PHASE OUT PERIOD AND FINAL NOTIFICATION DUE 30 JUNE 2016. 18

7  Improving the timeliness and completeness of notifications
and other information flows on trade measures under
the SCM Agreement. 19

8  constant dollar methodology for graduation from annex VII (b). 24

9  permanent group of experts. 24

10  e-agenda – review of the trial period as per the
committee's decision contained in document G/ADP/33 – G/SCM/166 – G/SG/285. 25

11  DISCRIMINATORY subsidies policies and measures
of the United States – item requested by China. 27

12  France's EV subsidies programme – item requested
by republic of korea. 29

13  subsidies and overcapacity – ITEM REQUESTED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION, JAPAN, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND THE UNITED STATES. 30

14  other business. 40

15  election of officers. 40