China News Service, February 5-According to Agence France-Presse and Reuters reports, on the 5th local time, South Korean candidate Yu Myung Hee announced his withdrawal from the selection of the new director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This means that Nigerian candidate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is likely to become the first female Director-General in WTO history.
In May 2020, Azevedo, the sixth WTO Director-General, decided to leave early at the end of August.
In July, a total of 8 candidates were formally nominated and participated in the election of WTO Director-General.
After two rounds of negotiations, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Yu Mingxi entered the "finals" on October 8.
Earlier, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had received support from the European Union, Japan and other countries, as well as the "three-person team" selected by the WTO Director-General, but the United States supported the South Korean candidate Yu Myung Hee.
This intention of the United States makes the final selection result full of uncertainty.
In view of the current situation, as the South Korean candidate Yu Myung Hee announced his withdrawal from the selection, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is likely to become the first female director-general in WTO history.