Off the wire
• Maintaining healthy, stable development of Sino-US trade ties in global interest: FM spokesperson  • DPP administration bears full responsibility for Taiwan not being invited to WHA: FM spokesperson  • Legendary Chinese art connoisseur celebrated in Beijing  • Namibia continues with energy saving campaign to eliminate inefficient bulbs  • Train collision leaves two dead in Germany  • Maintaining healthy, stable development of Sino-US trade ties in global interest: FM spokesperson  • DPP administration bears full responsibility for Taiwan not being invited to WHA: FM spokesperson  • Legendary Chinese art connoisseur celebrated in Beijing  • Namibia continues with energy saving campaign to eliminate inefficient bulbs  • Train collision leaves two dead in Germany  
You are here: 　

1st LD: U.S. holds hostage nomination process to WTO Appellate Body, says Chinese diplomat

Xinhua,May 08, 2018 Adjust font size:

GENEVA, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States is abusing decision-making at the World Trade Organization (WTO) by holding hostage the selection process of new members to the Appellate Body, said Chinese Ambassador to the WTO Zhang Xiangchen in a meeting here on Tuesday.

The Appellate Body functions as the WTO's de facto court of appeals and is composed of seven members. However, only four of the seven members are in office since Washington refuses to initiate the process to fill vacancies.

"If the selection process is not launched, the functioning of the Appellate Body will be paralyzed, which will put the entire dispute settlement system in crisis," Zhang warned in a meeting of WTO General Council.

He estimated that the WTO dispute settlement system is facing the most difficult time since its creation, underlining that "without such system, the WTO's trade rules will no longer be effectively enforced, and the trust and credibility of the multilateral trading system will be deeply undermined."

"Ultimately, we will not be able to effectively restrain unilateralism and protectionism," he added. Enditem

 

Related News & Photos