May 2025 Global Trade Friction Index Remains High; U.S., EU, and India Lead in Trade Disputes

In May, the global trade friction index remained high, with a month-on-month decrease of 37.8% in the involved amount.

Wang Linjie, the spokesperson for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), stated that among the 20 countries and regions monitored, the European Union, India, and the United States had the highest global trade friction indexes.

Data released by CCPIT on July 31 showed that the global trade friction index in May was 105, remaining at a high level. Due to factors such as the U.S. suspending some tariff increases, global trade friction measures eased slightly, with the involved amount decreasing by 13% year-on-year and 37.8% month-on-month.

According to Wang Linjie, among the 20 monitored countries and regions, the European Union, India, and the United States topped the global trade friction index. The U.S. had the highest involved amount, remaining at the top for 11 consecutive months. The U.S.'s tariff measures, trade remedy measures, and import/export restrictions have consistently ranked the highest, making it the primary driver of the sustained high global trade friction index.

From an industry perspective, among the 13 major industries monitored, trade friction was most prominent in the electronics, chemical, and machinery sectors, with the electronics industry leading the trade friction index.

Regarding specific measures, the 20 monitored countries and regions collectively implemented 26 import/export tariff measures, initiated 24 trade remedy investigations, submitted 74 notifications to the WTO regarding technical trade barriers (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, issued 18 import/export restrictions, and implemented 159 other restrictive measures. The import/export restriction index ranked the highest.