China’s status as a developing country gives it few benefits in the World Trade Organisation
- Written by Henry Gao, Associate Professor of Law, Singapore Management University
Whether China is a “developing” or a “developed” country for the purposes of the World Trade Organisation matters a lot to the US president.
President Donald Trump ignited a new front in the US-China trade war in July by tweeting that the world’s richest nations were masquerading as developing countries to get special treatment.
They were “cheating[1]”, according to Trump.
References
- ^ cheating (twitter.com)
- ^ use all available means to secure changes (www.whitehouse.gov)
- ^ newly developed economy (www.pm.gov.au)
- ^ backed (www.pm.gov.au)
- ^ 155 rules (docs.wto.org)
- ^ resistance (faculty.washington.edu)
- ^ pragmatic approach (faculty.washington.edu)
- ^ Vital Signs. Blame Trump, not China for the looming trade and currency war (theconversation.com)
- ^ far exceeded those of even developed countries (www.wto.org)
- ^ were only able to accept 14 years later (www.wto.org)
- ^ modified (www.kluwerlawonline.com)
- ^ Barley is not a random choice – here's the real reason China is taking on Australia over dumping (theconversation.com)
- ^ Trade Facilitation Agreement (www.wto.org)
- ^ one of the largest subsidies in the world (www.ft.com)
- ^ will never agree to be deprived of its entitlement to special and differential treatment as a developing member (kw2.mofcom.gov.cn)
- ^ one-third (data.worldbank.org)
- ^ Universal Postal Union (www.scmp.com)
Authors: Henry Gao, Associate Professor of Law, Singapore Management University