International Trade Remedies Law

"Trade remedies" – that is, anti-dumping measures, anti-subsidy (or "countervailing") measures, and safeguards – are one of the most dynamic, topical, and commercially-relevant areas of international trade law. They are the primary legal instruments used by States to counteract so-called unfair trade practices from other countries and to protect their domestic industries against external shocks in a globalised world. The World Trade Organization ("WTO") provides a framework of rules for trade remedies, including to engage in thorough investigations, which States carry out under their own domestic frameworks. Hundreds of such investigations are carried out every year. Additionally, States are increasingly innovating with these legal instruments to address not just traditional "unfair" competition, but also new areas such as unequal environmental standards, labour protections they consider weak or ineffective, differences between market-oriented versus State-led economic models, and allegations on currency undervaluation.