China has pledged USD 500,000 to support the World Trade Organization’s training programs aimed at developing economies. This contribution, administered through the WTO's Global Trust Fund, aims to deepen the expertise of these economies on WTO matters and equip them with the skills necessary for effective trade rule negotiation and implementation.
The Global Trust Fund has traditionally covered about half of the costs related to WTO trade-specific technical assistance and training, focusing on diverse areas such as agriculture, services, and trade facilitation.
MOFCOM DG Han expressed China's longstanding commitment to the multilateral trading system, stating, "China firmly upholds the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. Recognizing the important role technical assistance plays in helping developing economies, especially LDCs, better integrate into the multilateral trading system, China has been supporting these activities for many years. China will continue to deepen cooperation with the WTO Secretariat to make the WTO more inclusive."
Dr. Bright emphasized the significant impact of trade on global development, acknowledging China's contribution: "Trade plays a key role in furthering the development objectives of economies around the world. I thank China for its generous support, which will help ensure that government officials from developing economies and LDCs can gain the skillsets needed to harness international market opportunities to drive job creation and economic growth for their people."
Over the past decade and a half, China has contributed nearly CHF 9 million, equivalent to around USD 10.5 million, to help developing members and observers, including least-developed countries (LDCs), integrate into the multilateral trade system.