China pledges USD 500,000 to support WTO accession and least developed countriesWTO

The government of China has pledged to renew its contribution of USD 500,000 (CHF 451,500) to the WTO’s Least Developed Countries and Accessions Programme (also known as the China Programme) in 2020. The contribution was confirmed on 1 December 2020 at a signing ceremony with WTO Deputy Director-General Yonov Frederick Agah and China’s Ambassador to the WTO, Zhang Xiangchen.

China pledges USD 500,000 to support WTO accession and least developed countries

Initiated in July 2011 under the WTO's Aid for Trade initiative, the China Programme aims to enable least-developed countries (LDCs) to better integrate into the global economy by strengthening their participation in WTO activities and helping those not yet members join the Organization.

The China Programme provides financing to support:

•     WTO accessions internships
•     WTO accessions round table meetings
•     LDCs’ participation in WTO meetings
•     South-South Dialogue on LDCs and Development
•     LDCs Trade Policy Review Follow-up Workshops

More information can be found here.

"China's generous contribution to this programme will be essential to facilitate the integration of least developed countries into the global economy, including through accession to the WTO. I warmly welcome this new contribution," said WTO Deputy Director-General Yonov Frederick Agah.

China’s Ambassador Zhang Xiangchen stated: "In the past decade, the China Programme played a positive and effective role in facilitating LDCs’ integration into the multilateral trading system. It is important to renew this programme under the current challenging circumstances, especially for LDCs. We appreciate our cooperation with the WTO Secretariat and look forward to the successful implementation of the renewed programme."

Since 2011, China has contributed USD 3.7 million to this programme.