Abstract: In view of the fact that Azevedo, the current Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), will leave early at the end of August, the WTO plans to appoint one of the four director-generals to serve as acting director-general until the director-general is elected. However, due to the intervention of the United States-requesting the appointment of the current deputy director general and American Wolff as the acting director general, the WTO is likely to abandon the selection of the acting director general.

In view of the fact that the current Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Azevedo will leave early at the end of August, the WTO plans to appoint one of the four directors-generals to serve as acting director-general until the director-general is elected. However, due to the intervention of the United States-requesting the appointment of the current deputy director general and American Wolff as the acting director general, the WTO is likely to abandon the selection of the acting director general.

U.S. insists on appointing Wolff as acting director general

It is reported that Wolf is a leading figure in the field of international trade, and in the past two years of global trade frictions, he has criticized and outspoken the Trump administration’s trade policies. However, due to his sensitive American identity, many The members did not approve of this choice.

According to the report, previously, the outside world generally believed that the appointment of the acting director-general was just an administrative arrangement with a simple process. Many WTO members were optimistic about the current deputy director-general, German Brauner, and believed that he would get this appointment. But the Americans insisted on appointing their own people. This move was resisted by Europe and China.

Brauner has publicly criticized the U.S. on many occasions when the U.S. imposes tariffs on steel and aluminum on many countries in the name of "national security." In June 2018, Brauner stated that there is no WTO legal cornerstone for the United States to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, but it will take about two years to wait for a formal judgment.

It is reported that the WTO will convene a meeting of member states on the 31st, and it is expected that the relevant arrangements for acting director general will be finalized. The next permanent director-general is expected to be appointed before November 7 this year. This schedule may take into account the situation in the United States after the end of the US general election. According to sources, the new arrangement is to allow the existing four deputy director-generals to continue to be responsible for their respective work, rather than appoint one of them as acting director-general. In addition to Germany and the United States, the current four deputy director-generals are Yi Xiaozhun from China and Yonov Frederick Aga from Nigeria.

This is not the first time that the United States has disrupted the WTO's "work rhythm"

Some analysts believe that even the role of administrative acting director-general in the WTO is difficult to produce, and it may be more difficult to produce a new director-general. In particular, there are still about three months before the US general election, and the election situation is still unclear. WTO members want to wait until the post of US president is confirmed before making a decision. If the Democratic presidential candidate Biden wins the election, he might even delay the selection process until the new president takes office early next year before making a decision.

However, some analysts believe that the dystocia of the acting director-general may make WTO members feel pressured, but it will speed up the selection process of the new director-general. At present, there are 8 candidates competing for this position. They are from Mexico, Nigeria, Egypt, Moldova, South Korea, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the United States has disrupted the "work rhythm" of the WTO.

Prior to this, the United States not only blocked the appointment of new judges to the WTO Appellate Body, but Trump also frequently "withdrew from the group." In September last year, Trump threatened that if the WTO did not reform, the United States would withdraw from the organization. In February of this year, Trump was exposed again, considering withdrawing from the WTO government procurement agreement.

At the end of May this year, Zhou Xiaoming, the former deputy representative of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and a columnist of Observer Network, said that the United States, which yelled to "retire", actually values ​​the selection of the director general very much. In order to regain the opportunity to dominate the WTO’s agenda, I hope that someone you like will occupy this important position. Lighthizer made it clear for the first time that the United States looks forward to participating in the selection process of the Director-General and putting on the posture of the group leader, unlike a member preparing to "retire".

Zhou Xiaoming also pointed out that according to his experience, if the United States wants to do things, it may not be 100% possible, but it will be very difficult for others to do things it opposes. As for the candidate for the Director-General, each member will have his own ideas. But as long as the United States does not nod, this person will not be able to go up... Will the United States kidnap the selection of the Director-General like the Appellate Body? Only it knows.