China has declared it will forgo the negotiation advantages it once enjoyed as a developing country within the World Trade Organization (WTO), signaling a major shift in its global economic positioning.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Premier Li Qiang announced on September 24 at the Global Development Initiative (GDI) high-level meeting in the United States, "China will no longer seek new special and differential treatments in all current and future WTO negotiations." This marks a departure from China’s previous assertion of its developing country status, which had allowed it various flexibilities and leniencies under WTO rules.

Although not an official renunciation of its developing country designation, the statement is widely interpreted as a practical abandonment of that status. For years, the United States has criticized China for leveraging the benefits of a developing country despite boasting the world's second-largest economy.

Within the WTO, developing country status is self-declared, without strict qualifying criteria. China had used this position to receive certain delays or gradual obligations in fulfilling international trade rules.

South Korea, for its part, voluntarily gave up its developing country status in October 2019, after having declared it upon joining the WTO in 1995. In that year, then-U.S. President Donald Trump criticized several countries, including China, for exploiting the developing country category to gain unfair trade benefits—a move that influenced Korea's decision.

Reuters noted that the announcement comes amid persistent trade tensions between the United States and China, fueled by broad tariffs imposed by both sides. Bloomberg also analyzed that China's move is likely aimed at resolving lingering controversies over its WTO status, a recurring sticking point in global trade negotiations.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News