GTA Monthly Roundup: August 2025

The Global Trade Alert team documented 601 new trade and industrial policy interventions during August 2025. Four trends emerge:

1. Governments stepped up industrial policy support. Beijing adopted the "AI Plus" initiative guidelines promoting AI integration, while provincial authorities targeted embodied intelligent robots and advanced technology sectors. The US acquired a 9.9% stake in Intel Corporation. France deployed an EUR 11 billion offshore wind program. Malaysia's Thirteenth Plan allocated MYR 430 billion for industrial transformation in semiconductors, renewable energy, and AI. Japan announced a JPY 800 billion "Fund No. 2" for strategic sectors.

2. Responses to US tariffs varied significantly across regions. The EU, Canada, and Australia implemented tariff reductions, though Australia was the only jurisdiction to do so on an MFN basis. Other jurisdictions prioritised domestic support, including Brazil’s "Sovereign Brazil Plan", Thailand’s “Competitiveness Enhancement Fund”, and South Korea’s “Export Supply Chain Strengthening Guarantee Scheme”.

3. US trade deals with the EU and China moved forward. Brussels published its first proposals for implementing its deal with the US. China permanently lifted restrictions on US companies from its Dual-Use Export Control and Unreliable Entity Lists, extending temporary suspensions for others by 90 days. The US extended Section 301 tariff exclusions on Chinese products until November 2025.

4. Trade defence actions intensified, particularly targeting China. The US imposed provisional duties reaching up to 921.4% on Chinese fibreglass door panels. The EU initiated antidumping investigations on Chinese polyamide yarns and pea protein, and imposed provisional duties up to 118% on Chinese steel cylinders. Brazil followed suit.

The GTA Monthly Roundup provides a rapid overview of changes in import barriers, export curbs, subsidies, and related industrial policy measures. It is organised by geography, beginning with the United States, China and the European Union. The final section briefly summarises developments in further regions covered by the GTA. Links to official sources are included in the references.

The United States maintained its use of import, export and trade defence instruments and focused on the semiconductor sector. The GTA team documented 40 new interventions during this period.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) tightened export controls on semiconductors to China by removing three firms — Intel Semiconductor (Dalian) Ltd, Samsung China Semiconductor Co Ltd, and SK hynix Semiconductor (China) Ltd — from the Validated End-User (VEU) authorisation list. Reversing previous exemptions, this decision requires these firms to obtain individual export licenses for advanced chips and components starting 31 December 2025. 

Conversely, the Trump Administration eased export licensing requirements for civilian items to Syria. It allows purely civilian goods, consumer communications devices, and certain civil aviation items to be exported without licenses.

The US Trade Representative's office extended the suspension of Section 301 tariffs on several Chinese products until 29 November. The exclusions, granted in March 2022, May 2024, and September 2024, were set to expire on 31 August. The action maintains the relief from the 7.5% or 25% tariffs, depending on the product, that would otherwise apply to these specific manufacturing and consumer products.

The US and EU published a joint statement with the “Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade”. Under the new document, the US committed to lifting the reciprocal tariffs applied on EU imports of unavailable natural resources (including cork), aircraft and aircraft parts, pharmaceuticals and their ingredients and chemical precursors, among others. Moreover, Washington indicated it will consider an import tariff-rate quota on EU imports of steel, aluminium, and their derivative products. 

Regarding Section 232 tariffs, the Commerce Department's BIS expanded the scope of the 50% additional tariffs to cover 407 additional steel and aluminium derivative products. The expansion also applied to the UK, albeit with a reduced rate of 25%. In addition, the Department initiated a Section 232 investigation into the national security implications of wind turbine imports. The investigation paves the way for future tariffs or import quota restrictions on these products. 

Washington imposed an additional 25% ad valorem tariff on goods imported from India with some exemptions, effective from 27 August 2025. This is in response to India’s alleged continued importation of Russian oil. The 25% additional duty is applied on top of any other existing duties, including the reciprocal tariffs (25% for India).

The US government acquired a 9.9% ownership stake in Intel Corporation for USD 8.9 billion. The transaction utilised previously awarded, yet undisbursed, “CHIPS Act” grants alongside funding from the “Secure Enclave programme”. The Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, noted that the Trump Administration “remains committed to reinforcing our country’s dominance in artificial intelligence while strengthening our national security”.

Trade defence activity intensified with multiple new investigations and developments. The International Trade Administration launched parallel antidumping and countervailing investigations on unwrought palladium imports from Russia. It also launched antidumping and countervailing investigations on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from India, Indonesia and Lao. In terms of provisional duties, it established provisional countervailing duties reaching up to 921.4% for Chinese fibreglass door panels and for monomers and oligomers from Chinese Taipei (159.71%). In addition, the government set the definitive antidumping (up to 478.1%) and countervailing duties (up to 691.6%) for Chinese low-speed personal transportation vehicles, as well as definitive antidumping (201.3%) and countervailing duties (up to 292.8%) for Chinese tungsten shot. 

In a labour market intervention, the Department of State paused the issuance of work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the measure by citing concerns over road safety and the protection of American truckers' livelihoods. 

Concerning cybercrime sanctions, the Treasury Department  imposed financial restrictions on several entities from Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The targeted organisations are allegedly involved in supporting activities that threaten US national security interests.

During August 2025, China expanded its domestic industrial policy and adjusted some countermeasures following new negotiations with the US. The GTA team documented 51 new interventions.

Following new trade talks with the United States, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) permanently suspended the addition of 12 US companies to China's Dual-Use Export Control List, effectively reversing earlier restrictions on dual-use technology exports to these entities. Simultaneously, MOFCOM also permanently suspended the addition of six US companies to China's Unreliable Entity List, lifting export bans. Conversely, Beijing extended the suspensions of export restrictions in other cases, such as those applicable to 28 US companies under the Dual-Use Export Control List and to 17 US companies under the Unreliable Entity List for another 90 days.

The State Council Tariff Commission extended the temporary reduction of additional duties on imports from the US from 125% to 10% for another 90 days. This suspension is effective until November 2025.

Consistent media reports indicated that Beijing had sent notices to local companies discouraging them from using AI chips from certain foreign providers. The measure would affect Nvidia's H20 processors and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)'s MI308 chips. 

MOFCOM’s withdrawal of six US companies from China's Unreliable Entity List effectively removed import restrictions that would have banned these defence companies from Chinese markets. The extended suspension of 17 companies had similar but temporary effects.

The State Council adopted the "AI Plus" initiative guidelines for promoting AI integration across various economic sectors. These call for increased state aid in multiple areas, including cultivating intelligent native technologies, accelerating AI implementation across the industrial sector, and promoting digital transformation in agriculture and service industries. In addition, several Ministries disclosed the "New Industrialisation" guidelines for supporting local industrial SMEs. They call for increased state aid to support enterprises upgrading manufacturing capabilities and expanding into international markets. On 1 August, the government also published previously adopted guidelines to promote the digital transformation of the machinery industry.

The People's Bank of China provided CNY 100 billion in financing to SMEs and agricultural enterprises in disaster-affected regions, including Beijing, Hebei, Jilin, Shandong, and Gansu. This support was delivered through the central bank's re-lending facility for flood control, disaster relief, and post-disaster reconstruction projects. Earlier, the Chinese government allocated CNY 1 billion in disaster relief funds for agricultural sector undertakings, followed by an additional CNY 1.2 billion allocation to support farmers of autumn grain crops.

As for firm-specific support, the China Development Bank disclosed that its Liaoning branch had provided CNY 1.3 billion in loans to Jincheng Petrochemical. The beneficiary is a provincial state-owned refining and chemical enterprise. 

Provincial authorities continued focusing on innovation and high-technology sectors. Shanghai Province and Beijing’s Economic and Technological Development Zone adopted comprehensive aid packages for the embodied intelligent robots industry. Guangdong Province announced state aid measures for the high-quality development of the commercial space sector. Yunnan Province adopted measures to develop the private low-altitude economy. Henan Province followed suit with support measures for enterprise technology innovation, and Anhui Province announced state aid to build AI capabilities.

MOFCOM unveiled "countermeasures" against two Lithuanian financial institutions. The measure is in response to the EU’s blacklisting of Chinese banks Heihe Rural Commercial Bank Co Ltd and Heilongjiang Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank Co Ltd in July 2025. 

The State Council introduced a new K visa for young foreign scientific and technological talents. Available to graduates from renowned universities in STEM fields or those engaged in related education and research work, it offers more favourable entry conditions than existing visa types. 

Beijing initiated an antidumping investigation on imports of certain pea starch from Canada. In addition, Chinese authorities extended definitive antidumping duties on phenol imports from the US, EU, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Thailand. This investigation was initiated in March 2018. It also imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on Canadian rapeseed imports and halogenated butyl rubber from Canada and Japan. 

Brussels saw limited activity in August, with trade talks with the US and trade defence measures as notable exceptions. Member States also stepped up domestic support. The GTA team documented 53 new interventions by the EU and its member states during the reporting period.

In early August and following the political agreement with the US, the EU suspended the application of its consolidated countermeasures package against the US tariffs until February 2026. The suspended package included export bans on metal waste scraps under CN codes 7204 and 7602. 

Slovenia implemented comprehensive restrictions on military trade with Israel, establishing both an export ban on military weapons and equipment. PM Golob stated the measure was taken due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. 

On 21 August, the EU and the US published a joint statement related to their “Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade”. In it, the Commission confirmed preferential market access for US imports (including food, industrial and metal products) through import tariff-rate quota arrangements or import duties reduction or elimination. On 28 August, the Commission put forward the first proposals to implement the deal. First, the establishment of import tariff-rate quotas for 203 agricultural and food product categories, including meats, dairy, nuts, seafood, and chocolates. For most products, it proposed 0%  in-quota tariffs, and annual volumes ranged from 1’400 to 500’000 tonnes. Second, tariff reductions or eliminations on both agricultural and industrial products, specifically eliminating import tariffs on 156 product categories and removing the ad-valorem component from compound tariffs on 21 agricultural and food products. Third, the elimination of customs duties on US lobster imports, with retroactive application from 1 August. The Commission retained the right to suspend these measures should the US fail to uphold the joint statement.

The suspended countermeasures package against the US tariffs included additional tariffs ranging between 7% and 30% against thousands of US imports. According to the Commission, the suspension “shall remain in force for six months” until February 2026. 

The European Investment Bank signed a EUR 221.5 million loan with Albasolar Srl. The financing will be used for the development, construction and operation of 14 solar photovoltaic plants in Italy.

At the national level, Hungary provided EUR 264 million for Sunwoda Hungary's electric vehicle battery plant. Italy launched a EUR 597 million grant scheme to incentivise the purchase of zero-emission vehicles by microbusinesses in urban areas. Denmark put forward a EUR 626 million scheme to support landowners in converting agricultural land into forests. France secured approval for an EUR 11 billion programme for accelerating offshore wind energy through contracts for difference over 20 years. Moreover, the French State Participation Agency acquired Atos Group's Advanced Computing business unit for EUR 410 million. The move covers the design and manufacture of high-performance servers and supercomputers deemed critical for French defence and industry. 

Brussels initiated new antidumping investigations concerning Chinese imports of polyamide yarns and pea protein. The Commission also imposed provisional antidumping duties ranging of up to 118% on Chinese high-pressure seamless steel cylinders and up to 53.9% on valine imports. In addition, it set provisional antidumping duties on barium carbonate imports from China (72.6% to 83.9% depending on the company) and India (4.6%). 

Under the joint statement with the US published on 21 August, the EU also agreed to "substantially" increase procurement of military and defence equipment from the United States. ​​This had not been confirmed by the Commission in sources from July 2025.

The GTA documented 457 new interventions announced by jurisdictions outside the US, China, and the European Union in the last four weeks. Significant developments include:

Argentina zeroed the export taxes for 231 mining products and reduced them on 230 agricultural products. Moreover, the government reduced tariffs on five goods, including lithium batteries. 

Australia announced its intention to abolish almost 500 “nuisance tariffs” on an MFN basis to reduce regulatory burden costs. The financing agency ARENA launched its AUD 500 million “Battery Breakthrough Initiative” to support battery manufacturing across three areas: active materials production, battery cell manufacturing, and battery pack assembly. Furthermore, the government terminated their countervailing investigations on steel bolted clipping system clip-heads and brackets from China without imposing any duties.

Brazil unveiled its "Sovereign Brazil Plan" to support businesses affected by the US tariffs. Its implementation has already begun with BNDES establishing three new financial instruments and exceptional public food purchases for affected producers. The new funding programmes are the BRL 2 billion guarantee “PEAC FGI Solidário Emergency Credit Access Programme”, the BRL 30 billion “Brazil Sovereign Emergency Credit Programme”, and the BRL 10 billion credit “BNDES Complementary Emergency Programme - Export”. In addition, BNDES announced a BRL 10 billion "Industry 4.0 Digital Transformation" credit line and FINEP, a BRL 2 billion "Technological Development and Innovation" programme for the industry’s adoption of cutting-edge technologies. Brasilia also initiated an antidumping investigation on glass fibres from China and Egypt and imposed definitive antidumping duty on imports of Chinese carbon steel sheets. 

Canada removed retaliatory tariffs on over 1’000 US products if imported under CUSMA (also referred to as USMCA). The measure, effective 1 September, was made in recognition of the US allowing most Canadian goods to enter tariff-free under the agreement. It does not cover steel, aluminium, or automobiles. To support the lumber industry, PM Mark Carney called for the modification of federal procurement processes to favour domestic content, CAD 500 million for product and market diversification, and CAD 700 million in guarantees to support economic development. The Business Development Bank of Canada launched its CAD 200 million “Industrial Innovation Venture Fund II” for financing next-generation technologies in advanced manufacturing, ag-tech, food-tech, and critical minerals. In other developments, Ottawa coordinated with the EU and UK to reduce the price cap for Russian crude oil. The government also initiated antidumping alongside countervailing investigations on imports of steel tubular goods from Mexico, the Philippines, Türkiye, South Korea, and the US. 

Chinese Taipei implemented four economic support measures for companies negatively affected by the US tariffs. These programmes are "R&D Transformation Subsidies", "Winning Overseas Orders", "Preferential Guarantee for Export Loans", and "Diversified Development Loan for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises".

Egypt increased the reference wheat procurement price for the 2025/2026 season by EGP 150 per ardeb to support domestic wheat production and ensure food security. 

India’s Department of Posts temporarily suspended parcel shipment services to the US in response to the US withdrawal of duty-free de minimis exemptions in July 2025. The suspension affects postal articles except letters/documents and gifts up to USD 100. New Delhi also granted INR 30’000 crore to three public Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). 

Indonesia introduced a 5% annual interest subsidy scheme for companies with loans between IDR 500 million and IDR 1 billion under the “Labour-Intensive Industry Credit (KIPK)” programme. The KIPK programme targets the garments, textiles, furniture, leather and footwear, food and beverages, and toys sectors. 

Iraq set additional customs duties on paper tissues and plastic containers. The measure was approved by the Iraqi Council to strengthen industry protection. 

Japan’s Investment Corporation announced plans to establish Fund No. 2 with JPY 800 billion in capital to promote business restructuring and growth investments in domestic strategic sectors. The fund is expected to be operational in autumn 2025. Tokyo initiated antidumping investigations on bisphenol A imports from the Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei and certain steel products from the Republic of Korea and Chinese Taipei.

Malaysia’s Thirteenth Malaysia Plan (2026–2030) allocates MYR 430 billion in government funding to spur growth, industrial transformation, and technological development. The priorities include strengthening SMEs, advancing the rare earth sector, fostering AI and automation in the agri-commodity sectors, and promoting strategic industries like semiconductors, renewable energy, tourism, and the digital creative sector. Kuala Lumpur also announced commitments within trade negotiations with the US. These include reducing or eliminating import duties on 98.4% of all tariff lines for US imports, annual coal purchases by Tenaga Nasional Bhd, and reducing sales tax on imported US agricultural products.

Mexico established minimum export prices for fresh tomatoes ranging from USD 0.88 to USD 1.70 per kilogram. 

Morocco introduced new levies on the fruit sector, implementing a mandatory contribution of MAD 12 per tonne on exported fresh or processed fruit tree products and a MAD 15 per tonne contribution on imported fresh or processed fruit tree products plus MAD 1 per imported plant. 

Nigeria’s Dangote Industries Limited secured a USD 1.4 billion loan facility with Afreximbank. The loan will support the petroleum producer’s industrial development and expansion.

The Philippines announced an import ban on rice effective 1 September 2025 for 60 days. The ban aims to protect domestic producers from low prices.

Russia introduced VAT exemption for imports of new technological equipment and increased export tariff quotas on scrap and ferrous metals. In terms of subsidies, Moscow granted tax concessions to domestic unmanned civil aviation entities until 2027. Moreover, the country set conditions for foreign investors to regain their shares in the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project, which has been under Russian government control since October 2022.

The Southern African Customs Union increased the customs duty rate on sugar from ZAR 2.82/kg to ZAR 3.65/kg effective 1 August 2025.

South Korea implemented extensive measures to shield its companies from the fallout of US tariffs. These include the KRW 630 billion “Export Supply Chain Strengthening Guarantee Scheme” and a KRW 200 billion fund for supporting SMEs’ overseas expansion. Simultaneously, Seoul’s export credit agency K-SURE provided USD 350 million in guarantees for K Shipbuilding’s deliveries to the US and a USD 1 billion guarantee to LG Chem for the construction of a cathode material plant in Tennessee. These last measures are in line with commitments undertaken by the country with the US. More recently, the country’s National Assembly passed legislation establishing a KRW 50 trillion "Advanced Strategic Industry Fund" for high-tech strategic industries. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy confirmed the KRW 689.15 billion "K-On-Device AI Semiconductor Technology Development Project" to establish a complete domestic AI semiconductor ecosystem and the Industrial Bank of Korea announced KRW 300 billion in loans for tech startups. 

Switzerland joined the EU’s sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. It restricted the provision of commercial and financial services related to the exportation of Russian oil priced above USD 47.6 per barrel. It also placed additional entities based in Russia, Hong Kong, China, Belarus, the UAE, Mauritius, Azerbaijan and Singapore in its frozen funds list. In addition, it forbade port access and services to 105 vessels.

Thailand approved the THB 10 billion “Competitiveness Enhancement Fund” for supporting firms affected by the US tariffs and the Global Minimum Tax. Managed by the Board of Investments, the fund will subsidise projects in the agriculture, healthcare, smart electronics, and robotics sectors. 

Türkiye imposed maritime restrictions prohibiting Turkish-flagged ships from accessing Israeli ports and barring Israeli-flagged or Israel-linked ships from entering Turkish ports. 

Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council implemented financial sanctions against several entities across multiple jurisdictions and sectors, given their affiliation with Russia. Targeted entities are established in Russia, Belarus and China, as well as in Europe. 

The United Kingdom’s National Wealth Fund announced up to GBP 200 million in equity support for Eelpower Energy. The capital will finance a battery storage platform to deliver over 1GW of renewable energy storage capacity. Scottish Enterprise established a GBP 1.8 billion “Capital Investment Scheme” for increasing productivity growth and addressing low capital investment levels. London imposed sanctions on Luxembourg- and Kyrgyzstan-based financial entities as part of its ongoing sanctions regime against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Vietnam reformed its gold trade regime, replacing the previous import and export bans on raw gold and gold bars with import and export licensing requirements for manufacturers of gold bars. The measure effectively ends the state monopoly previously held by the Saigon Jewellery Company. The decree simultaneously introduced the legal framework for future annual import quotas and export quotas on the product. The Vietnam Development Bank granted a VND 5 trillion credit to Confitech East Hanoi Joint Stock Company for financing renewable energy and social housing infrastructure projects from 2025 to 2028, and a VND 270 billion loan to HLC Energy Joint Stock Company for the HuaBe Hydropower Project.

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