(Source: "International Business Daily" 2025-09-24)

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must continue to expand high-level opening up to the outside world. In the past, China's economic development was achieved under open conditions, and in the future, China's economy must achieve high-quality development under more open conditions."

Premier Li Qiang announced during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly that China will no longer seek new special and differential treatment in current and future negotiations at the WTO. In the current context of the United States turning to w88 protectionism and the WTO facing survival challenges, this solemn commitment demonstrates China's determination and confidence to firmly support the multilateral trading system and continuously expand opening up to the outside world.

As the predecessor of the WTO, GATT did not distinguish between developed and developing countries when it was first founded. However, with the continuous strengthening of the understanding of developing countries as a group, special arrangements for developing countries gradually appeared in its rules.The special and differential treatment granted to developing countries by GATT/WTO is the result of continuous efforts by developing countries in multilateral w88 negotiations. The core concept is that developing countries should be given more preferential treatment, so as to enjoy more benefits of w88 liberalization, but without having to bear excessive obligations, and to obtain more policy space to protect and develop domestic industries. Special and differential treatment is an important institutional right that developing members have obtained through long-term negotiations. It also provides each developing member with a more favorable negotiating position in striving for a level of openness suitable for itself in w88 negotiations.

GATT/WTO has never clearly defined the definition and scope of developing members. In practice, each member identifies its status as a developing member through self-declaration.Since applying for restoration of customs relations in 1986, China has always insisted on its position as a developing member. However, like other newly added members of the WTO, although China can insist on its status as a developing member, during the accession negotiations, it will not be able to obtain all the rights to enjoy special and differential treatment as founding developing members. Judging from the final result, China can only enjoy some of the 157 special and differential treatment provisions.

So it can be said,When China entered the WTO, it had already made commitments and obligations that were consistent with its development stage and economic level at that time, and its level of openness in many aspects was higher than that of other developing members.For example, in 2001, China's per capita national income was only US$890, ranking 138th in the world. The average bound tariff on industrial products that China committed to when joining the WTO was 9.1%. In the same year, the per capita national income of South Korea was US$9,460, that of Argentina was US$6,940, that of Brazil was US$3,070, and that of South Africa was US$2,820. Their bound tariffs on industrial products were 10.1%, 31.8%, 30.8%, and 15.7% respectively, which were significantly higher than those of China.

In principle, after joining the WTO, China can request corresponding special and differential treatment as a developing member in various WTO negotiations. But in practice, on the one hand, all parties to the negotiation have high expectations for China; on the other hand, China has always upheld the responsibility and responsibility of a large developing country and has taken the initiative not to seek special and differential treatment on many occasions, making important contributions to the smooth completion of the negotiations. In 2013, the WTO Ministerial Conference adopted the w88 Facilitation Agreement. China played a leading role and voluntarily gave up the right of developing countries to retain Category C measures and retained only 4 Category B measures, which is close to the level of developed members. In the negotiations to expand the Information Technology Agreement that ended in 2015, China was the main bidder. In the negotiations on intellectual property exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines, China, as a major vaccine producer and supplier, proactively announced that it would not seek the flexibility provided by exemptions.

Therefore, whether in the process of joining the WTO or after joining the WTO, China has not used its status as a developing country to evade its due responsibilities. Instead, it has always actively undertaken its opening-up obligations commensurate with its own development level.In 2024, China's per capita GDP has reached US$13,303, 12.5 times that of 2001 (US$1,065). China undoubtedly has the will and ability to implement a higher level of opening up.

In recent years, China has actively promoted unilateral opening up and independent opening up, and has continued to independently expand opening up to the outside world based on its own economic development level.For example, starting from December 1, 2024, China will grant zero-tariff treatment to all least developed countries that have diplomatic relations with China, including 33 African countries, on 100% of their tax items, becoming the first major developing country and major economy in the world to implement this measure. China has also actively promoted the implementation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, free w88 pilot zones, free w88 ports, and pioneering demonstration zones of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Through institutional opening, it has created a market-oriented, legal and international first-class business environment internally, and promoted the construction of a more fair and reasonable international political and economic order externally, ensuring the smooth operation and efficient mutual promotion of domestic and international dual cycles.

Due to its profound historical heritage and political connotation, China will always be a developing country, but this does not affect China's commitment to opening up based on its own level of economic development and its continued expansion of opening up as its level of economic development improves. This time the Chinese government solemnly promises not to seek new special and differential treatment in current and future negotiations at the WTO. This is an outstanding manifestation of this responsibility and responsibility. It is believed that under the guidance of this new policy announcement, China will make new and greater contributions to the continuous promotion of w88 and investment liberalization and facilitation under the WTO framework, contribute more Chinese solutions to solve the huge challenges facing the current multilateral trading system, and will also show the world a more confident and open China.

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