Many countries spoke out against China at the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) Review in Geneva, accusing it of “benefiting” from WTO policy since joining the WTO 20 years ago.
Australia has accused China of breaking its WTO commitments, which was sparked in part by Australia’s request for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
“China has increasingly tested global trade rules and norms by engaging in practices that are inconsistent with its WTO commitments,
“By undermining agreed trade rules China also undermines the multilateral trading system on which all WTO members rely,” the Australian government said in a statement.
China has imposed restrictions on many Australian exports in the last 18 months, including barley, coal, sugar, wine, and beef.
Meanwhile, the United States has slammed China’s trade policy, accusing its closest economic rival of failing to follow international trade rules for the past two decades.
“When China joined the WTO 20 years ago, nations widely expected Beijing to dismantle its existing policies and practises that didn’t comply with the WTO’s rulebook,” says David Bisbee, the Chargé d’affaires at the US mission in Geneva, according to Bloomberg News.
But “Those expectations have not been realized, and it appears that China has no inclination to change.”
China’s Commerce Minister, Wang Wentao told the meeting, “Since the last review, China has remained committed to deepening reform, expanding, opening up, and growing its open economy at a higher level,
“China has strengthened intellectual property protection through legislative, administrative, and judicial means, as well as meeting its transparency obligations.”
