China's Commerce Ministry says it has launched a probe regarding US trade measures; China to investigate US trade practices starting March 27th; probe to conclude within six months but can be extended

Full release:

"[Issuing Authority] Trade Remedy Bureau[Document Number] Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 17 of 2026[Date of Issuance] March 27, 2026

In accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China and the Rules for Investigation of Foreign Trade Barriers issued by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Commerce may conduct investigations on trade barriers of relevant countries and regions on its own in order to maintain foreign trade order.

Preliminary evidence and information obtained by the Ministry of Commerce indicate that the United States has implemented numerous practices and measures in trade-related areas that severely disrupt global supply chains, 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 two-way investment in key sectors. These practices and measures may seriously harm the trade interests of Chinese enterprises, and some of these measures are suspected of violating WTO rules and other economic and trade treaties or agreements jointly concluded or acceded to by China and the United States.

In accordance with Articles 41 and 42 of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China and Articles 12 and 35 of the Rules for Investigation of Foreign Trade Barriers, the Ministry of Commerce has decided to initiate a trade barrier investigation into relevant practices and measures of the United States, effective March 27, 2026. The relevant matters are hereby announced as follows:

I. Measures under investigation

       The measures under investigation in this case are: U.S. practices and measures that disrupt global supply chains in trade-related areas.

II. Investigation Procedures

According to the Rules for Investigation of Foreign Trade Barriers, the Ministry of Commerce may use methods such as questionnaires, hearings, and on-site investigations to understand the situation from stakeholders and conduct investigations. 

III. Investigation Period

This case should be concluded within 6 months from the date of the announcement of the decision to file the case. In special circumstances, it may be extended, but the extension period shall not exceed 3 months.

IV. Accessing Public Information

Interested parties may download, view, copy and photocopy the publicly available information in this case from the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau sub-website of the Ministry of Commerce or from the Trade Remedy Public Information Inquiry Room of the Ministry of Commerce (Tel: 0086-10-65197878).

V. Comments on the filing of the case

Interested parties should submit their written comments on issues related to the initiation of the case to the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce within 20 days from the date of this announcement.

VI. Information Submission and Processing

Interested parties submitting comments, questionnaires, etc., during the investigation process should submit electronic versions through the "Trade Remedy Investigation Information Platform" (https://etrb.mofcom.gov.cn), and also submit written versions as required by the Ministry of Commerce. The electronic and written versions should have identical content and consistent format.

If an interested party believes that the disclosure of information it provides would have serious adverse effects, it may apply to the Ministry of Commerce to have the information treated as confidential, and provide reasons. If the Ministry of Commerce agrees to the request, the interested party applying for confidentiality should also provide a non-confidential summary of the confidential information. The non-confidential summary should contain sufficient meaningful information to enable other interested parties to have a reasonable understanding of the confidential information. If a non-confidential summary cannot be provided, the reasons should be explained. If the information submitted by the interested party does not specify that it needs to be kept confidential, the Ministry of Commerce will treat the information as public information."