China submits first comprehensive policy document outlining its stance on WTO reform

BEIJING — China recently submitted to the World Trade Organization a position paper outlining its stance on WTO reform under the current circumstances, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

It is the first policy document China has submitted to the WTO since the launch of the necessary WTO reform process in June 2022, which comprehensively and systematically sets out China’s position on WTO reform, an official with the ministry said.

China took the lead to call for the necessary WTO reform, and released a position paper in 2018 and submitted a proposal in 2019, the official said.

Against severe challenges facing the multilateral trading system and evolving development needs, China submitted the new position paper after taking into account its own concerns and those of other members, the official said.

The document is multilateral-oriented, development-focused and future-oriented, and sets out China’s overall principles and action proposals for WTO reform under the current circumstances.

On multilateralism, it reiterates China’s support for open and inclusive economic globalization and its commitment to upholding the multilateral trading system, and underscores the importance of advancing WTO reform under the current circumstances.

The document calls for placing development at the center of the reform agenda and helping developing members seize growth opportunities in areas such as the digital economy, green transition, and artificial intelligence.

Looking ahead, the document calls for discussions on government measures that produce trade-distorting effects, urges respect for members’ different economic systems and stages of development, and urges efforts to reach consensus on fair competition to foster an international trade rules environment that better meets the needs of industrial development, the official said.