The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Photo: VCG

Responding to a media inquiry on China's pledge not to seek new special, differential treatment in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson He Yadong said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang's important statement of position demonstrates China's firm support for the multilateral trading system as a major developing country, and represents a significant initiative to implement the Global Development Initiative and Global Governance Initiative, which has been applauded by the international community.

China announced on Tuesday that it will not seek new special and differential treatment in current and future negotiations of the WTO, a move hailed by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as "major news key to WTO reform" in a post on her X account on Wednesday. She said "this is a culmination of many years of hard work and I want to applaud China's leadership on this issue."

On Wednesday, China submitted to the WTO a position paper, providing a detailed explanation of its stance. The document emphasizes that China remains to be the world's largest developing country with institutional rights to special and differential treatment under the WTO, while some countries have been imposing additional tariffs arbitrarily, posing unprecedented challenges to the multilateral trading system and seriously harming the interests of developing members, said He.

"This decision by China not to seek new special and differential treatment in current and future negotiations of the WTO will help promote WTO reforms to better implement the Global Development Initiative and achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals," He stated, adding that this move does not affect China's status as a developing member within the WTO nor its rights to existing special and differential treatment provisions in current WTO agreements.

He noted that "development is an important theme in today's world, and this position demonstrates the responsibility of China as a major developing country and large trading nation, with distinctive development attributes."

In recent years, China has vigorously advanced high-level opening-up, adhering to the orderly expansion of autonomous and unilateral opening-up, thereby making positive contributions to global development, the spokesperson said.

As a result, China has already implemented zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for all least-developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. Additionally, it is actively promoting the signing of common development economic partnership agreements to implement zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for 53 African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, He said.

"China remains to be the world's largest developing country. Its status and identity as a developing country have not changed," He affirmed. "China has always been a member of the Global South and will always stand together with developing countries."

China will continue to uphold true multilateralism, support the rules-based multilateral trading system and stand with other developing members to place development at the center of the WTO agenda, better bridge the North-South development gap, improve global economic governance, and build an open world economy, noted He.

Global Times