International Law

China Throws Weight Around at WTO

By Stan

As seven years of global trade talks approach another climax, China is emerging as a central player — and coming under heavy criticism from the United States and others for its tactics.

Uh oh. Sounds like the Chinese are up to no good again. Or are they? If you read a few of the articles circulating about the Doha trade talks, one theme emerges: the rise of India and China.

It’s interesting that the beginning of the NY Times article quoted above mentions first and foremost China’s "tactics". As I read more, it seems clear that the U.S. is unhappy about China’s policy positions and demands, not just tactics.

That China would eventually start to be more aggressive in promoting its interests in the WTO is not exactly a surprise. China has had a realist foreign policy for a very long time, and whereas before it made sense to lay back and be a silent observer, China now has enough clout and experience to actively participate. The U.S. and EU don’t like it, particularly when it interferes with current negotiations.

Get used to it.

One final comment. As usual, the big argument is over agricultural products. There is a lot of blame to go around, and although China is defending a protectionist policy, there are a lot of poor farmers in this country they need to deal with. This is certainly a better argument than the ones the U.S. and EU use to defend their protectionist agricultural subsidies.

Full post as published by China Hearsay on July 29, 2008 (boomark / email).