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2h ago

China to Forgo Special WTO Treatment in Current and Future Agreements

The pledge answers a core U.S. demand for WTO reform, with its impact to be tested in upcoming negotiations.

A Chinese flag flutters at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce building in Beijing, China June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo/ File Photo
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Overview

  • Premier Li Qiang announced in New York that China will no longer seek Special and Differential Treatment in ongoing and future WTO negotiations.
  • WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala praised the decision as major for reform, calling it a culmination of many years of work.
  • China will retain its developing-member designation, and officials said the step is voluntary and does not alter obligations under existing agreements.
  • Beijing framed the move as support for a multilateral trading system under strain from tariff battles, addressing a long-running U.S. grievance over SDT.
  • Focus now shifts to whether the stance leads to concrete commitments on market access, subsidies and rules as members prepare for talks ahead of the 2026 ministerial in Cameroon.