China claims that the safeguard measure on solar cells is inconsistent with a number of provisions of the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, while China claims the incentive measures for renewable energy are inconsistent with provisions under the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) and the GATT 1994.

Further information is available in document WT/DS562/1 and WT/DS563/1

What is a request for consultations?

The request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.

• More on consultations
• Current status of disputes