From February 26 to March 2, local time, the 13th Ministerial Conference of the World ** Organization was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. After intensive consultations, the meeting reached a "1+10" pragmatic result. WTO members adopted the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration, committing themselves to strengthen the multilateral system and continue to advance WTO reform. The meeting boosted the confidence of the international community in the multilateral system and injected strong impetus into promoting global investment liberalization and facilitation.
During the meeting, the Chinese delegation actively promoted talks and cooperation, and participated in all consultations throughout the process. In the negotiations on investment facilitation, fishery subsidies and other issues, China actively coordinated, communicated and interacted with all members, demonstrated its responsibility as a major country, and made important contributions to the success of the meeting, which won positive comments from all participants.
The centrality of the development dimension in the work of the WTO was emphasized.
This session is the first ministerial meeting after the launch of WTO reform, focusing on WTO reform, rebuilding the dispute settlement mechanism, promoting investment facilitation and other issues, and is regarded as an important opportunity to revitalize the multilateral system and jointly address global challenges. The Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration adopted at the meeting emphasized the centrality of the development dimension in the work of the WTO, while recognizing the role of the multilateral system in contributing to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The outcomes of the session also include: the conclusion of the Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development, which responds to the strong demand of developing members to attract foreign investment and develop their economies; Adopted the Ministerial Decision on the Reform of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism, with a view to restoring the normal operation of the dispute settlement mechanism within the year; Adopt the Work Plan on Electronic Commerce and extend the temporary tariff exemption for electronic transmissions until the next Ministerial Conference to provide a stable and rule-based environment for global digital** development; Achieve the results of the negotiation of domestic regulation of services, and continuously reduce the cost of global services; Ratify the accession of the Comoros and Timor-Leste to the WTO and continue to enhance the representation of the multilateral system; Adopt the Ministerial Decision on the Smooth Transition of Graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to help countries better integrate into the multilateral system. In addition, the meeting resulted in topics such as regulatory cooperation, small economies, non-violation litigation and situational litigation.
At present, the world economy is recovering slowly, the growth momentum is insufficient, and global challenges such as food and energy security, climate change, and development imbalances are increasing. The WTO is an important pillar of multilateralism and an important arena for global economic governance. In his speech, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Chairman of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference, Sani Zeyudi, said that although the meeting failed to achieve all the goals, all parties committed to further strengthen the multilateral system.
In an economic and geopolitical landscape full of uncertainty and external shocks, the WTO remains stable and resilient**. remains an important force for improving people's lives and helping businesses and countries cope with the impact of these shocks. "WTO Director-General Iweala thanked members for their efforts to find consensus.
China has made positive contributions to the maintenance of the multilateral system.
China has always firmly upheld the multilateral system, attached great importance to the work of the WTO, practiced true multilateralism, and actively promoted the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference to achieve practical results.
In the past year, China became the first major developing country to complete the ratification of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, led the conclusion of negotiations on the text of the Agreement on Investment Facilitation, and pushed the WTO to substantively conclude some negotiations on global digital** rules. China's positive and constructive role has been appreciated by all parties.
As the largest developing member of the WTO, China has actively helped other developing members, especially the least developed countries, to integrate into the multilateral system. On the eve of the meeting, the 12th WTO "China Project" Roundtable High-level Forum was held in Abu Dhabi, and Iweala and ministers from China, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other WTO member countries attended and spoke. By sharing the case of Arab countries' accession to the WTO, the roundtable will optimize technical assistance and capacity building to help more countries in the region join the WTO as soon as possible and benefit from it.
China plays a pivotal role in the multilateral system and has made positive contributions to the maintenance of the multilateral system. Morocco's Minister of Industry, Investment and Digital Economy Riyad Maizur said that there are still many Arab countries that have not joined the WTO, and with the help of platforms such as the "China Project", relevant countries can gain more experience and better integrate into the multilateral system.
The China Project was established in 2011 by China and the WTO Secretariat to support the integration and benefit of the multilateral** system by LDCs through capacity building and experience sharing. During the high-level forum of the 12th WTO "China Project" Roundtable, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Iweala signed a new "China Project" Memorandum of Understanding. China said that it will continue to carry out South-South cooperation within the framework of the multilateral system, further implement the "China Project", enhance the openness, inclusiveness, inclusiveness and balance of the multilateral system, implement the Global Development Initiative with concrete actions, and promote the building of a global community with a shared future for development.
We will continue to work together in solidarity and cooperation to address global challenges.
This session is another major victory for multilateralism, which fully demonstrates the determination of WTO members to take effective action in the face of the widening development gap and adhere to the priority of development, and fully demonstrates the ability of WTO members to adhere to unity and cooperation in addressing global challenges in the face of a complex and severe international situation. China said that it will actively implement the outcomes of the meeting, fully and deeply participate in the reform of the WTO, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing members, and continue to contribute China's wisdom and solutions to improving international economic and trade rules and participating in global economic governance.
China (delegation) was very active throughout the process, and China's active participation in the meeting contributed to the outcome of the meeting. Zeyudi said China's global presence "reflects a commitment to true multilateralism."
China has participated very constructively in the whole process and has shown its support for the maintenance of the multilateral system. Iweala said that while defending its legitimate rights and interests, China can think about and deal with issues from the standpoint of all members, and promote positive results in negotiations on investment facilitation and other issues.
The WTO is one of the most important international economic organizations in the world today, and there are still many countries waiting in line to become WTO members. In an interview with this reporter, Timor-Leste's Deputy Prime Minister Le Phat Pong said that China has provided a lot of help to Timor-Leste's accession to the WTO. "China plays an important role in the multilateral system, and Timor-Leste hopes to learn more from China's development experience. ”
In an interview with this reporter, Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Amin Salam said that the economic and trade cooperation between Argentina and China is close, and the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has taken root in the Arab region, bringing important opportunities for regional development and prosperity. "We very much look forward to working hand in hand with China to further improve and develop our economic and trade relations. ”
ABU DHABI, March 3 (UPI) --
People** 2024-03-04 03 Edition).
*: People's Daily Online, People**.