While receptive to proposals that are in line with its economic reform and opening-up agenda, the country cannot be expected to embrace rule changes that undermine ore parts of its successful economic model.

December 11, 2019, is the 18th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization. It also marks the start of an era in which the WTO no longer has a functioning appellate body to adjudicate trade disputes among member countries. Why is the WTO imploding, and can it be resuscitated before it’s too late?

Expectations and requirements are different kettles of fish. A country is only obliged to honor the terms laid out in its accession agreement.

The Trump administration has demonstrated a lack of a respect for international trade law throughout the US-China trade dispute. Now, organizations like the WTO will suffer at the hand of Trump’s prioritization of his ‘America First’ policies.

The Trump administration has demonstrated a lack of a respect for international trade law throughout the US-China trade dispute. Now, organizations like the WTO will suffer at the hand of Trump’s prioritization of his ‘America First’ policies.

Trashing favorable treatment for rising countries in the WTO would be unconscionable.

How the label “developing country” is assigned has become a bone of contention for the United States in its assessment of China and the WTO. But China can find middle ground by looking toward the World Bank’s GNI classification standard.

President Trump’s most recent threat to leave the WTO has caught worldwide attention. Would removing itself from the organization be beneficial for the United States, or is it just a bluff?

Trump’s most recent memo to the WTO is the latest in a series of unilateral aggressions by the U.S. Given the relentless combativeness of the Trump Administration in global trade more broadly, the memo targeting WTO norms is unlikely to have any productive results.

China says US trade policies are threatening the existence of the World Trade Organization.