The twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference, an important meeting that provides authorization for WTO reforms, could not be held as scheduled, and the resumption of the appellate body is even slimmer.

The twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC-12) could not be held as scheduled, an important meeting that could point the way for the Appellate Body to get rid of "paralysis" and provide authorization for WTO reforms.

According to reports, Kazakhstan ’s first deputy prime minister and finance minister, Smylov, told local media on the 12th that Kazakhstan has decided to cancel the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for June in Nur-Sultan.

Kazakhstan has written to the WTO headquarters and obtained the other party's understanding and support for this decision. Smylov said the threat of the spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic was the main reason for cancelling the conference.

Later on the same day, the WTO also confirmed the news, saying that Kazakhstan has indicated to the Director-General of the WTO Azevedo that in view of the status of the new crown epidemic and the news that the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the new crown epidemic as a pandemic, Members should reconsider the issue of the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference.

According to reports, on the 13th, the Minister of Health of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Birtanov stated that after the return of two Kazakh citizens from Germany, the surveillance of the new crown virus was positive. This is the first time that the country has confirmed the occurrence of new crown pneumonia.

When the Appellate Body restarts

The WTO stated in a statement that Azevedo sent a note to members after consulting with the Kazakh delegation. "In our opinion, it is not feasible to hold the Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference in the way originally agreed from June 8 to 11."

In light of this development, Azevedo said that he and the President of the General Council will consult with WTO members and, as conditions permit, as soon as possible through the convening of a special session of the General Council on how to continue revising the relevant twelfth session. WTO Ministerial Conference arranges consultations.

The 12th WTO Ministerial Conference was originally scheduled to be held in June in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan. Trade ministers of 164 WTO members and 20 observer representatives will attend the meeting. It is estimated that the total number of participants will be about 4,000 to 5,000.

As a member-led organization, the WTO is its highest decision-making body. The ministerial meeting is attended by a ministerial delegation led by members, responsible for ensuring the realization of WTO functions and taking necessary actions to this end.

A ministerial meeting is held at least once every two years to review the implementation of the WTO agreements and the operation of the multilateral trading system, launch multilateral trade negotiations and review and guide the progress of the negotiations. At the request of members and on the basis of consensus, Make a decision on everything.

In 2020, the importance of this meeting is that all parties urgently need to formally authorize WTO reforms at this meeting before the WTO can officially start the reform process.

However, the United States has been ruling the Appellate Body under the WTO for the past two years, which has caused it to become paralyzed on December 11, 2019.

Of the last three judges remaining in the Appellate Body, the terms of office of Graham from the United States and Bhatia from India have expired. Only Chinese judge Zhao Hong remains in the Appellate Body. Her term will end in November 2020. .

In the absence of multiple consultations, the parties can only maintain the existence of the appellate body and maintain the low-functioning operation of the multilateral system. Whether the appellate body can be activated depends on whether parties can reach a consensus on the direction of WTO reforms at the 12th Ministerial Conference. At present, the delay of the meeting will undoubtedly continue to slow down the process of restarting the appellate body. .

In the interview with the First Financial Journalist, Hidejiro Urada, a professor of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Graduate School of Waseda University, pointed out that the protectionism adopted by the United States has disrupted production networks and international supply chains, and created uncertainty for the economy. prediction.

Frequent diagnosis of staff from international organizations

On March 10, Azevedo issued a statement confirming that a WTO employee at the Geneva headquarters confirmed the diagnosis of new coronary pneumonia. From March 11, all WTO meetings will be postponed to March 20.

He also revealed that the WTO has set up a new crown virus task force to monitor developments and take all necessary precautionary measures to respond to the development of the situation.

Not only the WTO, but also the staff of other international organizations and institutions located in Europe and the United States.

On the 12th, an internal letter from the OECD confirmed that the OECD Deputy Secretary-General Ulrik Knudsen had a positive test for the new crown virus and was self-isolating at home.

It is reported that he was diagnosed after traveling to Austria with two friends who were also infected. The OECD specifically pointed out that it can be seen that Knudson may not have been infected at the OECD headquarters in Paris because He has never been to the headquarters office since March 2.

On the same day, the United Nations Headquarters also reported that a female diplomat in the Philippine mission to the United Nations tested positive. This was also the first case of patients with new crown pneumonia found at the United Nations headquarters in New York, which led to 12 People are in a state of self-isolation.

In the EU institutions, according to statistics from the First Financial Journalist, at least 33 employees are currently infected. They are from NATO headquarters in Brussels, the European Commission and the European Defense Agency. Italian speaker of the European Parliament Sassoli, after spending the weekend in Italy, returned to Brussels and started sanitary procedures for two weeks of self-isolation.

The European Parliament will change its monthly plenary meeting, scheduled to be held next week in Strasbourg, France, to Brussels, Belgium, and is discussing whether to cancel subsequent monthly meetings.

In addition, the European Central Bank has already seen the first patient with new coronary pneumonia on the 9th this week, and 100 employees who have contact with this patient are currently having to work from home. Prior to this, the European Central Bank has issued a response policy that restricts all unnecessary travel of the European Central Bank's executive board and staff until April 20, and visits from all walks of life to the European Central Bank and its public tourist center have been suspended.

Froden, the deputy governor of the Swedish central bank responsible for setting interest rates, was also diagnosed with new crown pneumonia. The Swedish central bank said he was diagnosed after a holiday in northern Italy.

Author: Feng Di Van