The WTO is in a deep crisis. The lack of reforms became clear in 2017 at the latest, when for the first time no final declaration was reached at a Ministerial Conference. Various reform proposals were subsequently published, but these were not implemented. This master's thesis
therefore aims to answer the question of how can the enduring stagnation of WTO reforms regarding China's proposals be explained? This question will be answered using a qualitative approach with the help of official documents from the WTO, the USA, the EU and China. The approach of Neoliberal Institutionalism is chosen as the theoretical framework. First, China's path into the GATT/WTO is described. The thesis then outlines the WTO crisis and analyzes its origins, followed by an exploration of reform proposals and an examination of the positions of China, the USA and the EU regarding WTO reforms. This positioning is
examined in greater depth in relation to China and certain areas of the WTO. Drawing on this analysis, it is shown that China is certainly willing to reform, but the Chinese proposals also call for more co-determination and the integration of Chinese specifics into a reform of the
WTO. This is not acceptable to the USA, which is why the USA is actively blocking reform. This blockade contributes to a fragmentation of WTO as a central pillar of international trade and tool of international peaceful cooperation.
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