Asia

The U.S. Commerce Department improperly calculated some antidumping and countervailing duties on Korean goods, a World Trade Organization dispute panel report determined on Thursday, handing the Biden administration its first WTO conundrum.

China on Wednesday announced sanctions on 28 outgoing and former Trump administration officials including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, both of whom were frequently criticized by Chinese officials for their adversarial approaches toward Beijing.

The new guidelines were developed in consultation with the State and Treasury departments.

The final interim rule the Commerce Department issued on Thursday offers industry some clarity on the scope of technology products it will cover but still gives the Commerce secretary broad discretion to block imports of information and communications technology and services from “foreign adversaries.”

President Trump has banned U.S. entities from investing in companies on the Pentagon list.

The new rules impact China’s Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department as well as intelligence agencies in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela.

The Commerce Department on Thursday named China and five other countries “foreign adversaries” in its much-anticipated interim final rule on securing the information and communications technology and services supply chain.