China to propose WTO reforms

中國提出WTO改革

A representative commented that it would back reforms, but warned fellow members against trapping China


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) said the country will propose WTO reforms, but warned that it is not an opportunity for other nations to trap China.

Zhang Xiangchen attended a WTO conference in Paris on Friday (Nov. 16), where he said China will co-sponsor EU proposals to reform the Appellate Body (the WTO dispute settlement chamber), as well as submitting its own reform proposals in the near future.

The EU put forward proposals to reform the Appellate Body earlier this year so that presiding judges could serve longer terms, and the Secretariat would have access to more funding. The U.S. rejected the proposals, saying it gave the judges less accountability.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been heavily critical of the WTO after a barrage of disputes were raised against some of his global tariffs and trade policies against China. The U.S. has blocked the reappointment of all Appeal Chamber judges so that now only four, rather than the usual seven, remain in the Appellate Body. Trade experts expressed fear that the system is on the brink of crisis.

China sees this as yet another opportunity to cozy up to the EU, who are at odds with Washington’s decisions. Zhang commented that the polities have set up a joint high-level working group on the matter.

A number of representatives brought up official complaints that had been leveraged against China at the Paris conference, to which Zhang responded, “We will study them carefully, and see if some of them can be taken into account in the process of domestic institutional reform.”

Zhang then said the WTO needs to be modernized to keep up with changes in business, liberalize trade, and facilitate investment. He commented that the WTO was failing to curtail protectionism and unilateralism.

The representative added that any reforms should not be biased towards particular countries, and it will not be permit them to put China in a “straightjacket.” He said China would back away at any signs of entrapment.