The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on member states to leverage the WTO as a platform for dialogue to resolve global trade tensions and reinforce multilateral trade cooperation.
Okonjo-Iweala made this appeal during the first 2025 meeting of the WTO’s General Council held in Geneva, Switzerland. Her remarks came amid growing concerns about unilateral trade measures, particularly raised by China’s Ambassador to the WTO, Li Chenggang, who criticized the United States for imposing tariffs that he claimed disrupt global trade and violate WTO rules.
Addressing WTO members, Okonjo-Iweala emphasized the organization’s role in providing stability and resolving disputes. She stated:
“The WTO was created precisely to manage times like these — to provide a space for dialogue, prevent conflicts from spiralling, and support an open, predictable trading environment. Let us make full use of this platform to engage with one another in good faith, address concerns constructively and calmly, and explore cooperative solutions that uphold and enhance the balance of global trade relations.”
Following her address, representatives from 32 member states shared their perspectives, with many reiterating the importance of upholding the principles of the WTO and avoiding actions that could undermine the multilateral trading system.
Okonjo-Iweala highlighted her ongoing discussions with WTO members regarding the broader geopolitical and economic challenges facing global trade. She urged members to remain calm and open to dialogue while reaffirming the need to prioritize reform within the WTO.
“The key message I have shared is that amid the current uncertainties, we must maintain cool heads and remain open to dialogue,” she said.
She also announced the upcoming launch of a revamped WTO tariff database, set for March 4, which aims to provide members with a user-friendly tool for tariff and trade analysis.
“This will be a much more user-friendly system that will facilitate tariff and trade analysis,” she explained, adding that the WTO Secretariat stands ready to assist members in addressing emerging tariff issues.
Okonjo-Iweala urged members to view the current tensions as an opportunity for strategic reform. She underscored the importance of addressing long-standing challenges and advancing key negotiations, particularly in agriculture, fisheries subsidies, investment facilitation, e-commerce, dispute settlement, and development issues.
“I encourage all of you to view this moment as an inflection point — an opportunity to think more strategically and purposefully about what we want from this organization and how we can make it more results-driven,” she said.
On the issue of unilateral trade measures, China’s Ambassador, Li Chenggang, expressed strong opposition to the United States’ tariffs, which he referred to as “global tariff shocks.” According to Li, such actions violate WTO rules, increase economic uncertainty, and threaten the integrity of the rules-based multilateral trading system.
“These measures disrupt global trade and undermine the multilateral system built on rules. China firmly opposes them and urges the US to correct its course,” he stated.
Okonjo-Iweala concluded her intervention by urging members to return to the negotiating table and make substantial progress in addressing pressing trade issues.
“The world has changed,” she noted. “We cannot come here to continue doing the same things we’ve been doing.”
