The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on members of the global trade body to use the platform for dialogue and to engage on the issues contributing to the current global trade tensions....Read Full Article >>➤
Okonjo-Iweala stated this while speaking at the 2025 meeting of the WTO’s General Council in Geneva, Switzerland. Her admonition came as China’s Ambassador to the WTO, Li Chenggang voiced strong concern over the US unilateral imposition of tariffs and their harmful effects, calling on her to remove these measures and urged all parties to take meaningful action to uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system, which resonated deeply with the audience.
Addressing the Council, Okonjo-Iweala said: “It is imperative that we continue to strengthen the multilateral trading system, ensuring that it remains a source of stability and opportunity for all members.
“The WTO was created precisely to manage times like these to provide a space for dialogue, prevent conflicts from spiralling, and support an open, predictable trading environment.
“Let us make full use of this platform to engage with one another in good faith, address concerns constructively and calmly, and explore cooperative solutions that uphold and enhance the balance of global trade relations.”
A total of 32 members took the floor following her remarks.
Overall, members emphasised the importance of the WTO in fostering global economic growth and development, particularly for developing and least-developed countries.
Many who took the floor called for restraint in actions that could undermine the system and stressed the importance of upholding the WTO’s principles and rules.
Okonjo-Iweala said she has been meeting with WTO members to discuss the broader geopolitical landscape and explore how the organisation could approach the situation.
“The key message I have shared is that amid the current uncertainties, we must maintain cool heads and remain open to dialogue,” she said. ...Read Full Article >>➤
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