The United States has criticized the World Trade Organization at the opening of a ministerial conference in Yaoundé on Thursday, with China taking the opposite stance by defending the WTO and calling to “oppose unilateralism and protectionism.” “The trade policy measures of the United States constitute a corrective response to a trade system, embodied by the WTO, which has endorsed and contributed to serious and persistent imbalances,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Members of the organization have gathered in Cameroon until Sunday to try to revive an institution that has been weakened by geopolitical tensions, negotiation standstills, and the rise of protectionism, with the Middle East conflict posing a serious threat to global trade. “The global trade system is facing its worst disruptions in 80 years,” said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, also pointing out the unilateralism being witnessed. The WTO, struggling to reach agreements due to the consensus rule, must reform on several fronts to emerge from a deep crisis that questions its central role in regulating international trade. “The reform must lead to a WTO (…) capable of meeting today’s challenges and restoring confidence in the multilateral trading system,” argued Cameroon’s Minister of Commerce Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana. Several African countries, including Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Senegal, have emphasized the importance of maintaining the “special and differential treatment” that provides greater flexibility to developing countries. On the other hand, there is agreement among the United States, China, and the EU on the need to consider a rules framework where interested countries can move forward when they wish to engage in closer economic cooperation, including through plurilateral agreements. This does not sit well with India, which has called for the incorporation of plurilateral results into the WTO framework to be based on consensus and not to affect the rights of non-parties or impose additional obligations on them. While no significant agreement is expected in Yaoundé, the WTO hopes its members will succeed in adopting a roadmap for reform, aiming for a more concrete outcome at the next ministerial meeting. Several members wish to amend the organization’s decision-making procedures, which follow the consensus principle, as well as review the rules for developing countries and those concerning equal competitive conditions, and restore the dispute settlement mechanism to working order. [Context: WTO facing challenges at ministerial conference in Yaoundé. Fact Check: Some countries criticize the organization’s functioning while others express support for a rules-based multilateral trading system.]
