China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao shakes hand with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Beijing on December 8, 2025. Photo: Official website of the Ministry of Commerce

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Beijing on Monday, with the two sides exchanging in-depth views on the global economic and trade landscape and WTO reform, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce.

Wang noted that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) adopted the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, setting out a grand blueprint for China's economic and social development over the next five years. China will continue to proactively expand its opening-up, firmly uphold the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and share development opportunities with all countries to inject more stability and certainty into the world economy, he said.

Wang stressed that rising unilateralism and protectionism have seriously disrupted the international economic and trade order, making it imperative for the WTO to undertake reforms so it can better address global challenges. Wang noted that China stands ready to work with all parties to jointly send the right message in support of multilateralism and free trade, focus on key areas and topics, and strive for pragmatic outcomes at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in fields including WTO reform, investment facilitation, agriculture and food security, and development 

"China will actively participate in WTO reform and work to build and uphold a more just and reasonable, open and inclusive, and mutually beneficial international economic order," Wang said.

Okonjo-Iweala spoke highly of China's long-standing firm support for the multilateral trading system. She commended China's major announcement that it will not seek new special and differential treatment in current and future WTO negotiations, as well as its exemplary role in upholding multilateralism and expanding autonomous unilateral opening-up, according to the ministry.

The WTO chief noted that although the multilateral trading system faces challenges, it remains resilient, and WTO reform will support China's high-standard opening-up and high-quality development. She said she looks forward to China continuing to play a leading role in helping the WTO keep pace with the times and contributing further to global economic development, per the ministry's statement.

Global Times