China will propose changes to the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), but the country’s ambassador to the bloc also warned its partners not to use the reforms as an opportunity to try to squeeze China, Reuters reports.
Zhang Xiangchen, China’s representative at the WTO, made the comments during a WTO conference in Paris on Friday, during which officials discussed possible reforms, driven largely by the US’s accusation that the organization currently does not do enough to prevent China from flouting the rules.
Washington has enlisted Brussels and Tokyo to back its call for the WTO to do more to punish countries that subsidize state-owned enterprises, maintain overcapacity in industrial sectors, and force investors to transfer technology.
The US has also blocked new appointments to the WTO Appellate Body as it accuses the office of holding back America’s efforts to crack down on unfair trade practices. The European Union and Canada have launched reforms intended to deal with these complaints and restore the WTO to normal functioning, and China has now decided to back this move.
“We will also put forward China’s WTO reform proposal soon,” added Zhang.