China’s ‘unfair trade practices’ draw heavy fire at WTO trade review
- The United States, European Union, Japan, Britain, Australia and Canada all criticise China’s trade actions
- The tone was markedly sharper than in China’s last review in 2018, when nations spoke positively of Beijing’s engagement on trade issues
China was accused of a laundry list of trade felonies and economic bullying during a series of attacks by other nations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva on Wednesday, laying bare growing geopolitical rifts and widening schisms in the multilateral trading system.
The United States, European Union, Japan, Britain, Australia and Canada took part in the pile-on at China’s first WTO trade policy review since 2018, according to a well-placed source.
All WTO members must participate in trade policy reviews, essentially peer-group assessments, along with an in-depth analysis conducted by the WTO secretariat.
China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, led a team of 20 officials from seven Chinese agencies via video link, and used the occasion to promote Beijing’s achievements, including its poverty alleviation drive and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
China fielded more than 1,600 written questions from 40 WTO members, most of which were already answered in writing, and will have a chance to defend itself on Friday, during the second part of the review.
