China firmly supports WTO-centered multilateral trading system: premier

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is in China for the seventh "1+6" Roundtable in the city of Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

HEFEI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday that China firmly supports the WTO-centered multilateral trading system.

Li made the remarks during a meeting with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was in China for the seventh "1+6" Roundtable in the city of Huangshan, Anhui Province.

Since its accession to the WTO over two decades ago, China has all along fulfilled its commitments in real earnest, which has contributed to its own development and benefited the world at large, Li said.

He said that as the largest developing country in the world, China will adhere to the principle of balancing rights and obligations at the WTO and shoulder its responsibilities consistent with the level and capacity of its economic development.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is in China for the seventh "1+6" Roundtable in the city of Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Li reiterated China's commitment to multilateralism and upholding free and fair trade, and expressed China's readiness to deepen cooperation with the WTO and work with all parties to promote WTO reform in the right direction and toward balanced and development-oriented results.

Li said that it is important that the outcomes of the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference be fully and effectively delivered, so that international confidence in the multilateral trading system will be strengthened.

Okonjo-Iweala spoke highly of China's positive and constructive role in upholding the multilateral trading system.

The director-general said that decoupling and severing supply chains is not conducive to the development of the world economy and international trade. The WTO is ready to further enhance cooperation with China to jointly uphold an open and strong multilateral trading system.