WTO in crisis - China´s position towards the stagnation of WTO reforms : master's thesis

Albrecht, Niklas (author), Nahtigal, Matjaž (mentor)

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.

• Language: English
• Keywords: WTO reform, global trade governance, China, USA, WTO crisis
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Place of publishing: Ljubljana
• Publisher: N. Albrecht
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 1 spletni vir (1 datoteka PDF (132 str.))
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-158559
• UDC: 339.5/.9(043.2)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 202278659
• Publication date in RUL: 15.06.2024

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: WTO v krizi - stališče Kitajske do stagnacije reform WTO : magistrsko delo

Abstract

STO je v globoki krizi. Pomanjkanje reform je postalo jasno najpozneje leta 2017, ko na ministrski konferenci prvič ni bila sprejeta nobena končna deklaracija. Pozneje so bili objavljeni različni predlogi reform, ki pa niso bili izvedeni. Zato je namen tega magistrskega dela odgovoriti na vprašanje, kako je mogoče razložiti trajno stagnacijo reform STO v zvezi s predlogi Kitajske? Na to vprašanje bo odgovorjeno s kvalitativnim pristopom s pomočjo uradnih dokumentov STO, ZDA, EU in Kitajske. Za teoretični okvir je izbran pristop neoliberalnega institucionalizma. Na začetku je opisana pot Kitajske v GATT/STO. Magistrsko delo nato opiše kriza STO in analizira njene začetke, nato pa sledijo raziskava predlogov reform in preučitev stališč Kitajske, ZDA in EU glede reform STO. Ta stališča so podrobneje obravnavana v zvezi s Kitajsko in nekaterimi področji STO. Na podlagi te analize se pokaže, da je Kitajska vsekakor pripravljena na reforme, vendar kitajski predlogi zahtevajo tudi več soodločanja in vključitev kitajskih posebnosti v reformo STO. To za ZDA ni sprejemljivo, zato ZDA aktivno ovirajo reformo. Ta blokada prispeva k drobljenju STO kot osrednjega stebra mednarodne trgovine in orodja mednarodnega miroljubnega sodelovanja.

• Keywords: reforma STO, globalno upravljanje trgovine, Kitajska, ZDA, kriza STO