China News Service, March 1 (Bian Lei) On March 1, local time, the new Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala appointed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally took office, ending the position of Director General for six months The "vacuum" state.

　　The appointment of Okonjo Iweala has created two "firsts" since the establishment of the WTO in 1995: she is the first director-general from Africa and the first female director-general in history.

Her term will end on August 31, 2025.

　　Once, in the eyes of Oconjo-Iweala, trade was “a mission and a passion”; now, when the new crown epidemic is impacting the world economy and the WTO itself is facing severe challenges, can she lead the WTO? Does the organization get rid of its predicament and move forward?

Data map: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

The new head is "long overdue"

"Politicians are more likely to solve problems"?

　　Before Oconjo-Iweala took office, the situation of no one at the helm of the WTO had lasted for half a year.

During this period, the selection process encountered twists and turns and was temporarily suspended.

　　On May 14, 2020, when the former Director-General Azevedo announced his departure, he pointed out that the spread of the epidemic has slowed down WTO activities, which will provide a window for the selection of the Director-General and will reduce the daily work of the organization. Impact.

　　However, the selection process did not go as smoothly as imagined.

　　At the end of October of the same year, after the WTO announced that the new director-general was finally recommended as Oconjo-Iweala, it was opposed by the Trump administration of the United States.

The Trump administration questioned the close relationship between Okonjo-Iweala and pro-trade internationalists; there are also voices claiming that she is inexperienced in multilateral trade negotiations.

Since the appointment of the Director-General is usually done by consensus, a single vote of the United States objected, leading to a stalemate in the selection for several months.

Data map: Azevedo, former Director-General of the WTO.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yin Liqin

　　In fact, as a development economist, Okonjo-Iweara has extraordinary qualifications-she was the Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, worked at the World Bank for 25 years, and is currently the chairman of the board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.

However, since she has not directly dealt with international trade, she was once regarded as an "outsider" in international trade.

　　"Okonjo-Iweala believes that a politician is more likely to solve WTO problems than a technical expert," the British "Guardian" pointed out that she was right, because the challenges she faces are inseparable from politics. Level game.

The British "Financial Times" also stated that a successful director general needs to be able to act as an intermediary to build trust between members, not just a technical expert.

　　Until February 2021, the South Korean candidate Yu Myung Hee, whom the Trump administration announced its support, announced his withdrawal; after the Biden administration took office, it also changed its mindset during the Trump administration, expressing support for Okonjo-Iweala, and selecting Then there was a turnaround.

On February 15, members of the WTO unanimously agreed to appoint Okoncho Iweala as the new Director-General.

At this point, the selection results are settled.

　　Su Qingyi, an associate researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told a reporter from Chinanews.com that Okoncho-Iveara was elected because of its “geographical advantages”. “From a regional perspective, Africa is relatively neutral and easier to obtain. Everyone’s compromise.” He said that if all parties can reach a consensus on the candidates, it’s already rare, and it doesn’t matter if they are “outsiders”.

Data map: in front of the WTO building in Geneva, Switzerland.

From "no owner" and "difficult delivery" to partial suspension

Will the crisis facing the WTO continue?

　　After Oconjo Iweara takes office, she will face a troubled WTO.

　　The new crown epidemic has spread and the global economic and trade environment has deteriorated. At the same time, the functions of dispute settlement, multilateral trade negotiations and trade policy supervision, which are known as the three pillars of the WTO, are hindered. The 164-member WTO is already in deep crisis.

　　Among them, there are many "disruptions" by the Trump administration.

　　After Azevedo left office at the end of August 2020, the WTO has been in a state of “ownerless” because the Trump administration insisted on going its own way and required the US deputy director-general to serve as the acting director-general, which caused the acting director-general to "difficult to give birth." .

In addition, the United States has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the WTO in recent years; in December 2019, it blocked the selection of new judges for the Appellate Body, which caused the Appellate Body to “shut down”.

　　So, after the Biden administration supports Oconjo-Iweara this time, will it deal with the problem in a more gentle way?

Bloomberg in the United States pointed out on February 23 that this idea seems to have been shattered.

The Biden administration recently stated that the United States does not agree to appoint new members of the Appellate Body because it still has "systematic doubts" about the operation of the Appellate Body.

　　That being the case, why does the United States support the election of Okonjo Iweala as the new director general?

Wendy Cutler, vice chairman of the American Asia Society and former trade negotiator, said that this may be a "simple way to win favor and get everyone to pay attention to important substantive issues."

Data map: On December 3, 2013, the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization opened in Bali, Indonesia.

Photo by Gu Shihong issued by China News Service

The situation is complicated and the international economic and trade structure changes

The "female head" sets a "small goal"

　　The WTO is in trouble. "The most fundamental reason is that the international economic and trade structure has changed, the economic strength of emerging economies has risen, and the bargaining power and voice have risen." Su Qingyi analyzed.

　　Okonjo-Iweala once pointed out that after taking office, his three priority tasks will be: solving the problems related to the new crown epidemic, reforming the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, and realizing the modernization of multilateral trade rules.

　　In addition, the resumption of the ministerial meeting will also be a major test.

As the highest decision-making body, the Ministerial Conference is considered to be the key to the WTO's emergence from the crisis, and it is urgently needed for the new Director-General to organize coordinating members to authorize reforms.

Okonjo-Iweala hopes to host the meeting at the end of 2021. The WTO will discuss the duration and location of the meeting at the General Council meeting on March 1st and 2nd at the earliest.

　　In Su Qingyi's view, "The most important task of the new director general is to stabilize the WTO work at the beginning. The next step is to promote reform. It is very difficult to promote reform."

　　"Thank the WTO members for confirming my appointment and making history." After being officially appointed, Oconcho-Iweala said on the social networking site, "The real work has begun. Ready to meet the challenges of the WTO."

　　As the WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell said, it is certain that no matter who takes the job, "from day one, he will be very busy."

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