China strong supporter of multilateral trading system, says WTO director-general

China has been a strong supporter of the multilateral trading system, and as a critical economy for the world, China's role in the free and open trading system is very important, said World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Okonjo-Iweala said WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) held in June 2022 was successful and "China played a very important role in that."

The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) will be held in February 2024, and "we hope it will be equally successful, but it will need every single WTO member, including China, to work together," she added.

Underpinned by WTO rules, the multilateral trading system has delivered very well for the world, said the director-general.

The director-general called on WTO members to strengthen the multilateral trading system. "It is not a time to decouple into different trading blocs and we should avoid protectionist measures," she said.

According to WTO's annual trade statistics and outlook report released last week, global trade will grow 1.7 percent in 2023, higher than last October's estimate of 1.0 percent. As a "key factor" in this increase, China's adjustment of its COVID-19 measures is expected to boost international trade, the report said.

The director-general pointed out that China's adjustment of COVID-19 measures has been helpful for global trade growth. China is one of the biggest sources of services trade in the world, and the recovery of Chinese outbound tourism will boost the global tourism industry, she added.

As the second largest economy, China is contributing to global trade performance. China "carries a very big weight" because a lot of its trade is not only with developed countries like the United States and European countries, but also with other developing countries, the director-general said.

"We want China to do well (in trade), so that other developing countries...countries in Africa, for instance, can also do well," she said.

The global trade in 2023 faces multiple crises including the ongoing military conflicts in Ukraine, high food prices, tightening monetary policy, the recent banking crisis and climate crisis, she alerted.

The director-general called on WTO members to maintain free and open trade to avoid putting export restrictions or protectionist measures, so that the "free flow of trade can help the world recover from these multiple crises that it's confronting."

"WTO members need to remember that trade is a source of resilience," she said.