On 22 October 2025, Gong Anmin, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Jordan, published a bilingual article in English and Arabic titled "Upholding the Original Aspiration of WTO Accession and Demonstrating the Responsibility of a Major Country: China will not seek new special and differential treatment in the current and future WTO negotiations" in Jordan Times, Al-Nabat, and their affiliated websites, clarified that as a responsible major developing country, China will not seek new special and differential treatment in the current and future WTO negotiations, emphasized that the announcement does not affect or change China’s status as a developing member in the WTO, and expressed its willingness to work with Jordanians to support the multilateral trading system, promote WTO reform, and jointly build a global community of shared future. The full text of the article is as follows:

The Premier of China Li Qiang, when attending a United Nations General Assembly related meeting on 23 September 2025, announced that as a responsible major developing country, China will not seek new special and differential treatment in the current and future WTO negotiations, fully demonstrating China’s sense of responsibility as a major developing country.

China exercised its right to special and differential treatment（SDT）in an independent and practical manner and made positive contributions to advance WTO negotiations. In 2001, China acceded to the WTO as a developing member, and is entitled to the institutional right to special and differential treatment. Over the past 24 years since its accession, China has been committed to safeguarding the multilateral trading system and the interests of all members, actively undertaking obligations commensurate with its own development stage and economic level, approaching its special and differential treatment in an independent and practical manner and taking the initiative to make significant contributions within its capacity to advance WTO negotiations and promote global trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

China supports the multilateral trading system and injects positive energy into global trade development. The multilateral trading system is facing with unprecedented challenges, while uncertainties and instabilities in the global economy continue to grow. Against this backdrop, China’s announcement of not seeking new SDT in the current and future WTO negotiations is an important step to support the multilateral trading system and a concrete action to better implement the Global Development Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative. This major announcement by China is development-oriented in nature. It will help the multilateral trading system better focus on development issues, enhance inclusiveness and accessibility in global trade, narrow the North-South development gap, realize the WTO founding purpose of promoting global development, and inject strong impetus into global trade.

China always stands and works together with other developing members. It is important to emphasize that the announcement of not seeking new SDT in the current and future WTO negotiations does not affect or change China’s status as a developing member in the WTO. China remains the largest developing country in the world, has always been a member of the Global South and will always stand together with other developing countries. China’s position in the current and future WTO negotiations remains unchanged in three aspects:

1. China’s status as a developing member will not change;

2. China’s determination to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing members will not change;

3. China’s commitment to promoting global trade and investment liberalization and facilitation will not change. 

Jordan is one of the most important forces in the Middle East in supporting multilateralism and promoting multilateral trade. China and Jordan are important economic and trade partners that share similar positions on global development and governance. China is ready to work with Jordan and all other countries to address risks and challenges, uphold the WTO fundamental principles and rules such as non-discrimination, promote the WTO reform in a direction that favors development and inclusive growth, and advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative for a global community of shared future.