China's contributions to trading system undeniable

Editor's Note: Last week, the Office of the United States Trade Representative published its 2022 Report to Congress on China's WTO Compliance, which details "the scale of China's non-market policies and practices" and is "a reminder that the international trading system must continue to work together to defend our shared interests against these harmful actions", as the office said in its accompanying news release. The following are excerpts of the comment on that report the person in charge of the department for WTO affairs of the Ministry of Commerce shared with the media on Wednesday.

We have taken note of the report and the baseless allegations. The US side ignores China's great achievements in fulfilling its WTO commitments, distorts China's remarkable achievements in building a market economy, denies China's important contribution to the multilateral trading system and world economic development, and at the same time uses the US' criteria for judging a "market economy "to judge other members of the WTO. This lacks both a legal and a factual basis. It fully exposes the unilateralist thinking and persistent bullying practices of the US.

Over the past 20 years and more since its accession to the WTO, China, as the largest developing country, has always firmly supported the multilateral trading system, practiced true multilateralism, fully fulfilled its WTO commitments, improved the socialist market economic system and legal system, expanded institutional opening-up at a high level, enhanced policy transparency, and participated fully and deeply in WTO reform negotiations and activities.

China has actively helped more developing members, especially the least developed countries, integrate into the multilateral trading system, which has been widely recognized by WTO members. During the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, China, acting in the common interests of all WTO members, played a constructive role and contributed to the conference achieving more positive results than expected, which were highly recognized by all parties.

It is worth noting that in recent years, the US has engaged in unilateral trade bullying, employed a double standard in its industrial policies, disrupted global industry and supply chains, and seriously undermined the authority and effectiveness of the multilateral trading system. The WTO Dispute Settlement Body has ruled that relevant US measures violate WTO rules, and the US has not only failed to implement the WTO ruling, but also paralyzed the WTO appellate body. China is deeply disappointed that the core values and basic principles of the multilateral trading system have been severely weakened. We call on the US to correct its wrong words and deeds in a timely manner, earnestly abide by WTO rules and its commitments, and play its due role in upholding the authority, integrity and effectiveness of the multilateral trading system.