SINCE 2018， the need of World Trade Organiza- tion （WTO） reform has become more urgent， because the appointment of members of its Appellate Body faces a dilemma. Both developed and developing economies have proposed reforms and hope to accelerate the reform of the WTO. For instance， the EU issued the WTO modernization proposal， and China presented three basic principles and five suggestions for WTO reform. However， due to the large differences in reform programs， goals， and paths between the parties， WTO reform has a long way to go.
Support and Actively Participate in WTO Reform
China supports economic globalization and trade liberalization， and advocates a rule-based multilateral trading system with WTO as the core. In No- vember 2018， in the opening speech of the first China International Import Expo， President Xi Jinping highlighted China’s position on WTO reform. At the 26th APEC Informal Leaders’ Meeting， also in November， and the 2018 Central Economic Work Conference in December， President Xi again made important elaborations， stressing that China supports necessary reforms of the WTO and defends the multilateral trading system； WTO reform needs to adhere to the core values and basic principles of the multilateral trading system， and China actively participates in WTO reforms and promotes trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.
Although China’s position on WTO reform was released following that of developed economies such as the European Union， its position on the issue is clear， reflecting China’s consistent attitude of safeguarding WTO authority and its core appeal as a developing economy. China has clarified to all WTO members that it shoulders its responsibility and actively participates in and promotes WTO reform.
Adhering to the Core Values
In late November 2018， the Ministry of Commerce issued China’s Position Paper on WTO Reform， expounding China’s three basic principles and five propositions on WTO reform， which has received wide attention. It has played a corrective role in the WTO reform issues that have been dominated by developed economies such as the U.S. and Europe， and has also played a leading role in safeguarding the interests of developing economies. Its main features are as follows：
First， it emphasizes the promotion of reform within the framework of the multilateral trading system. This includes maintaining WTO’s core values and functions， as well as decision-making mechanisms. In this regard， China advocates that the WTO reform should adhere to three principles， including maintaining the “non-discrimination and openness” core value of the multilateral trading system， safeguarding the development interests of developing members， and following the practice of consensus-based decision-making.