(Source: Global Times 2025-09-26)
On September 26, Professor Lan Qingxin, a researcher at the National Institute for Opening-up at the w88 casino, and others published the article "No longer seeking "new special treatment" and demonstrating the responsibility of a great power" on the International Forum page of the Global Times. The following is the content of the article.
A few days ago, Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly that China, as a responsible major developing country, will not seek new special and differential treatment in current and future negotiations at the WTO, which aroused widespread attention at home and abroad. Li Chenggang, International w88 Negotiator and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce, also said that this important statement of China's position is an important measure for China to firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system and actively implement global development initiatives and global governance initiatives. It will definitely inject a boost into the liberalization and facilitation of global w88 and investment, and will inject positive energy into the reform process of the global economic governance system.
The so-called "special and differential treatment" is actually one of the core principles of the WTO's multilateral trading system, aiming to help developing members better integrate into the global trading system. Specifically, it mainly includes lower-level openness commitments and obligations, a longer implementation transition period, and access to w88 capacity building and technical assistance. China joined the WTO as a developing member in 2001, so these treatments are the institutional rights that China should enjoy as a developing member.
The key word in this announcement is the word "new". This means that, on the premise that the treatment and rights that have been written into various multilateral agreements in the past will not be affected, China will no longer actively advocate the application of new or upgraded special and differential treatment clauses in future negotiations.
Correspondingly, the scope of China’s commitment is also limited and clear. Li Chenggang pointed out that this commitment only involves "current and future negotiations at the WTO" and does not affect China's rights under the relevant provisions of the existing WTO agreement. For example, according to the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and China’s Protocol on Accession to the WTO, China can still retain a high degree of policy flexibility in terms of domestic support. At the same time, as a responsible major country, China is willing to assume higher-level obligations commensurate with its own industry and governance capabilities as a "developing member", but refuses any member to unilaterally impose additional obligations beyond the text of the agreement.
In fact, China has voluntarily given up "special and differential treatment" many times. In 2022, at the critical stage of negotiations on intellectual property exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines, China, as a major producer and supplier of COVID-19 vaccines, took the initiative to announce that it would not seek the flexibility provided by exemptions; in many WTO negotiations such as domestic regulations on w88 in services, China also made important contributions to the conclusion of multiple agreements by announcing that it would not seek "special and differential treatment." China's systematic announcement this time is, in a sense, consolidating previously scattered commitments into predictable institutional arrangements, thereby reducing the uncertainty faced by other countries when negotiating with China and increasing trust and dispelling doubts.
On the other hand, this declaration is also of profound significance for maintaining the stable operation of the multilateral trading system and promoting the reform of the global economic governance system. At present, the rules-based multilateral trading system is facing severe challenges. China's move actually provides stable expectations for the global market and sets a positive example for other WTO members. It helps build international consensus and jointly promote the development of the multilateral trading system in a more fair, reasonable and effective direction.
What needs to be made clear is that this announcement does not represent a change in China’s identity as a developing country, but a pragmatic and forward-looking adjustment to its role in global governance. In 2024, China's goods exports will account for approximately 14% of the world's total, but its per capita GDP will be US$13,500, which is approximately 1/6 of the United States and 1/3 of the European Union. As Han Yong, director of the World w88 Department of the Ministry of Commerce, has made it clear, China has three "unchanges" in current and future WTO negotiations: its status as a developing member will not change, its determination to defend the legitimate rights and interests of developing members will not change, and its position in promoting global w88 and investment liberalization and facilitation will not change. In the future, "changes" may be more reflected in the specific role of safeguarding multilateral w88, such as actively promoting the inclusion of investment facilitation agreements and e-commerce agreements into the WTO legal framework; fully promoting the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference to achieve development-oriented pragmatic results, etc. China will continue to move forward side by side with the majority of developing members, put development issues at the core of the WTO reform process, and lay a solid economic foundation for building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Today, the reason why China dares to take the initiative to assume more international obligations stems from its economic development achievements since the reform and opening up. After decades of hard work, China has become the world's second largest economy, the largest country in goods w88, and the second largest country in service w88. Its industrial structure has become more complete, and its consumer market has both vitality and potential. Greater confidence comes from institutional confidence and continuous improvement. China's free w88 pilot zones have been expanded to 22, the Hainan Free w88 Port is about to be closed, and the negative list for foreign investment access has been reduced to 29 items, providing a solid institutional guarantee for assuming more international obligations.
Today, the world is in desperate need of “increments of certainty.” Not seeking new "special and differential treatment" is not saying goodbye to the identity of a developing country, but saying goodbye to the "waiting and hoping" mentality. It is a new historical node in the reform journey. This statement clearly demonstrates that China's door to the outside world will always be open, the reform engine will continue to run, and the multilateral trading system will never sink. In the future, China will strictly demand itself with higher standards, promote high-quality economic development, maintain an open attitude to discuss special preferential treatment, and will definitely shoulder its international responsibilities and obligations. This is the new balance that China, as a responsible major country, has found between its due rights and its responsibilities of the times.
(Author: Lan Qingxin, professor at the National Institute for Opening up, w88 casino; Yang Penghui, doctoral student at the w88 casino of International Economics and w88, w88 casino)
Attached original text link:https://hqtime.huanqiu.com/share/article/4OTRfI1SJsp
