China to play more active role in WTO: official

China will participate in the work of the World Trade Organization in a more proactive and open approach, Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said at a press conference in Beijing on Monday, as the country prepares to mark 25 years of WTO membership in 2026.

Yan said that over the past 25 years, China has grown from a passive recipient of WTO rules to an active participant and major contributor.

China will push for the success of the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference, which is scheduled for March 26 to 29 in Cameroon, said the official.

"China actively advocates that the meeting should send a strong message in support of the multilateral trading system, and secure development-oriented outcomes on issues of incorporating the Investment Facilitation Agreement into the WTO's legal framework and maintaining the moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions," said Yan.

China also supports the development of WTO reform in the right direction, Yan said.

"China supports improving the WTO's decision-making mechanism and calls for more members to join the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement. China also backs the drafting of new, up-to-date rules on issues of industrial policy, trade and environment, and trade and artificial intelligence, to better respond to industry demands and the needs of the times," said Yan.

Yan also said that China places development at the center of the WTO agenda.

"China will deepen cooperation with Global South countries, provide more global public goods, continue supporting the trade facilitation roundtable initiative, and make contributions to the best of its ability within the South-South cooperation framework. China will also help with strengthening developing members' capacity to participate in international economic and trade negotiations, so that they can better benefit from the multilateral trading system," Yan said.

China to play more active role in WTO: official

The United Nations (UN) discourages any efforts to retreat from commitments to addressing climate change, a UN spokesman said at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday.

In response to a media query regarding the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement for the second time, which is set to take effect on Tuesday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, stressed the need for concerted efforts to cope with global climate challenges.

"It's important for us that all countries abide by their obligations to deal with climate change. It's a critical problem, and what is needed is collective action. So, we want to discourage any efforts to retreat from those commitments," he said.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty adopted at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on Dec 12, 2015. It's a landmark in the multilateral climate change process.

Donald Trump's first tenure as the president of the United States began on January 20, 2017. His administration officially let the United States exit the Paris Agreement in November 2020, dealing a major blow to international efforts to combat the climate crisis and drawing widespread criticism in the international community.

Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump in January 2021, signed an executive order after taking office to bring his country back into the accord.

However, Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the Paris climate accord for the second time on his first day back in the White House in January 2025.

The United Nations confirmed on January 28, 2025 that it had received the official notification from Washington of the withdrawal, adding it will take effect on January 27, 2026.

UN discourages any efforts to retreat from climate commitments: spokesman