A former World Trade Organization (WTO) judge has praised the WTO's dispute settlement system as its most successful function, emphasizing its crucial role in maintaining the rules-based multilateral trading system.
Zhang Yuejiao is the first Chinese national to serve as a member and chairman of the Appellate Body of the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism during 2008-2016.
As the WTO marks its 30th anniversary, Zhang shared her positive assessment of the WTO's impact, in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
"We are all happy with this moment, because it's very significant for international trade and for international rule of law, and for the standard of living of people increased for the last 30 years. We saw the development closely. And even when working in the WTO, we saw how hard people were working to achieve this great achievement," she said.
Zhang stressed that the dispute settlement system of the WTO is its most successful function and a key component of the organization's rule-based framework.
"The dispute settlement system of the WTO is the most successful function of the WTO. The dispute settlement is the rule of law in international trade. And for the enforcement of the implementation of the WTO obligations, rights, and the WTO-covered agreement to support the rule-based multilateral trading system is critical," Zhang said.
Meanwhile, Zhang said, China has been playing an important role since it joined the WTO, stressing the nation's dedicated adherence to international obligations, commitment to upholding international law, and respect for the rule of law in all fields.
"China is doing an excellent job in that field. China has implemented all decisions made by the DSB [Dispute Settlement Body] and even, for instance, in the case of the copyright issue, China's National People's Congress has modified and changed one provision – article four, in order to keep China's copyright law fully consistent with the WTO-covered agreement. So, no country else can do this. China is really observing its international obligations and respects public international law and respects the rule of law in all fields," she added.
Former WTO judge hails dispute settlement system as organization's greatest function
International guests who have dedicated their lives to historical truth joined China's 12th national memorial event honoring the hundreds of thousands of victims killed by Japanese troops in the Nanjing Massacre during World War II.
The memorial was held on Saturday at the public square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. China's national flag was flown at half-mast in the presence the crowd that included survivors of the massacre, local students, and international guests.
In one of the most barbaric episodes during WWII, the Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital Nanjing on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
Joining the crowd was Christoph Reinhardt, the great-grandson of John Rabe (1882-1950) who was then a representative of German conglomerate Siemens in the war-ravaged Nanjing. During the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe set up an international safety zone with other foreigners, and they together saved the lives of around 250,000 Chinese people between 1937 and 1938 from the Japanese invaders.
Throughout the massacre, Rabe continued to keep a diary. To this day, all his pages remain one of the most comprehensive historical records of the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors.
Sayoko Yamauchi, who was also in the crowd of mourners, arrived in Nanjing on Friday from Japan's Osaka to attend Saturday's ceremony, just as she has done almost every year since China designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 2014.
Yamauchi's grandfather was one of the Japanese soldiers who invaded Nanjing in January 1938. However, since first setting foot in Nanjing in 1987, she has dedicated herself to uncovering and spreading the truth about Japan's history of aggression and enlightening the Japanese public about their country's wartime atrocities.
In 2014, ahead of China's first National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Yamauchi, along with 10 other individuals, received an award for her special contribution to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
By attending the grand memorial event, Reinhardt and Yamauchi both said they hope to convey a message of remembering history and cherishing peace.
"This is my fifth visit to China, and Nanjing, and the third times I visited the ceremony. I have a wish that these survivors survive again and again and again. But my other wish is that the families of the survivors, that they transport the information, the right intention like their ancestors, because anyone must hold a hand (during) this remembering," Reinhardt told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview before the event began on Saturday.
"Our delegation is on its 20th visit to China, coming to Nanjing to express our heartfelt condolences to those who perished 88 years ago, to remember this history, and to reflect on what we can do for a new future. That's why we are here," Yamauchi told CCTV on board the bus that took her to a local hotel in Nanjing on Friday evening.
Int'l guests call for remembering history at China's national event honoring Nanjing Massacre victims
