Clean Energy Subsidies and the Law of the WTO

Huang Zhixiong, Visiting Fulbright Scholar of Harvard Law School and Associate Professor of Wuhan University's Law School will give a talk at Harvard University on clean energy subsidies and the law of the WTO between the US and China.

The recent WTO case between the US and China concerning the latter’s financial schemes for wind power equipment highlights the potential of clean energy subsidies as a major battlefield in international trade. This presentation provides a brief overview of clean energy subsidies in China and elsewhere, and examines the main legal issues of such subsidies under the law of the WTO, particularly the Agreement of Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM). It argues that the existing WTO rules are inadequate in addressing clean energy subsidies, and proposes the way forward.