China to Stop Claiming Special WTO Benefit for Developing States

(Bloomberg) — China will no longer claim the special treatment available to developing nations at the World Trade Organization, removing a point of contention with the US that’s been one barrier to the two nations agreeing on reforming the global trade forum.

Premier Li Qiang announced Tuesday in New York that the country will no longer seek “new special and differential” treatment in any current and future WTO negotiations, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency and a statement from the WTO’s head on X. Li is currently in the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly and made the comments at a meeting hosted by China on global development.

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“This is a culmination of many years of hard work and I want to applaud China’s leadership on this issue!” WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala posted on X.

Developing nation status is self-declared and provides various benefits to WTO members, including longer time frames to implement agreements.

The US has been critical of China continuing to claim developing status despite being the world’s second-largest economy, with President Donald Trump saying in 2019 during his first term that “the United States has never accepted China’s claim to developing-country status, and virtually every current economic indicator belies China’s claim.”

–With assistance from Yinka Ibukun.

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